Any Questions?
by shadow243ali
Summary: The Doctor is acting strange. He's locked himself in a room and Rose is beginning to worry. What lies hidden behind the locked door that Rose now has to run for her life even if it means the Doctor is her enemy? Is he even the Doctor at all?
1. Oh my God!

Any Questions

The Doctor had been acting strange. Well...stranger than usual, as far as Rose was concerned. He hadn't been eating, he hadn't been sleeping and he spent his time locked in a room. The only way she knew he was still alive was from the loud banging, followed by cursing. She had guessed he had hurt his foot when she saw him limping when he took a bathroom break.

It was then when she took the opportunity to ease her curiosity. After all curiosity was her virtue, yet the Doctor was a step ahead of her. The door remained locked and the Doctor had always left her a note. It usually went along the lines of 'Nice try, Rose!'.

Three days had went by and she still hadn't found out what was happening with him and she got worried when she heard something explode. She rushed to the big locked metal door and started knocking at it. Fear gripped at her when she hadn't heard anything. "Doctor?" She was greeted with silence. She started banging on the door. "Doctor, are you alright?"

Two seconds later she heard the reassuring sound of bolts being unlocked. The Doctor popped his head out, looked suspiciously down both corridors, satisfied there was no one else there, he turned his attention to her.

"I'm fine!" he said scratching at his oil and paint covered face.

"What the bloody 'ell are you doin' in there?" she shouted. She was sick of his secretive attitude.

He shrugged his shoulders, stuck on his most innocent of faces before murmuring, "Nothing..."

"Dosen't sound like nothing?" She narrowed her eyes and turned her head towards the corridor."Oh my god, what the 'ell is that?"

The Doctor's eyes widened and he took a few steps forwards straining to see what she had seen. Rose took the oppurtunity and pushed past him into the room. She had not been prepared for what she saw.

Rose raised her hand to her mouth subconsciously and breathed out, "Oh my God!"

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

It was in itself an initial shock for Rose. Her eyes never lingered off the array of things before her and had she chosen to go back and change it then she might have done so. Yet it was too late for her to notice that the Doctor had jabbed her in the arm with a needle.

It was then that the room began to sway and her felt too heavy for her body. She had tried to stay focused and steady, resisting the urge to just close her heavy eyelids and sleep her tiredness away. This had ended in her falling forward into the Doctor's arms as he whispered apologises in her ear. A gesture she had found confusing, fearful and against it all still strangely reassuring.

Her last thought was of what the Doctor was doing. And if it was really the Doctor at all?

--

When she had first regained consciousness she felt the arms of the Doctor around her, carrying her to safety. That was what she had thought until it all came flooding back and she struggled to break free even if it meant her falling on the grated ground.

"Shhhhhhh..." he breathed into her ear. "it's all right. Calm down."

She wanted to trust him, to believe that everything was fine and go back to travelling through space once again but not after what she had seen. That was right. That wasn't the sort of thing her Doctor would do. She wasn't going to go willingly with whoever this was because it couldn't be her Doctor.

Not him.

So she continued to fight against his grip. She kicked at his side and elbowed his side. Her efforts paid off when she felt the painful crash as the pair of them fell on the hard grated floor. She wasn't going to waste what little time she had so she picked herself up despite the shooting pain in her arm and began to run.

She didn't know where she was going. the Tardis was constantly changing but she would head for the one room she would feel safe in. The one room where she might be able to get out of this nightmare and back into the real Doctor's arms. It was also the only room which had a deadlock seal door that would be able to stop her follower getting in.

Now all she had to do was find it amongst the maze of rooms and passageways the Tardis was made up of? A task even the Doctor would find hard.

--

"Rose!" She heard his voice and immediately backed into the darkened corner even more. "Rose, come out! It's me! I'm not going to hurt you!"

She closed her eyes as she saw his footsteps pass. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to smooth out her breathing, hoping he would not hear her. She just had to wait for him to get as far enough away from her before she would try to find a way out. She needed to be safe.

That thing...Why did she have to go into that stupid room? Why couldn't she just let her curiosity be? Then she wouldn't be running away from the man she trusted with her life. She wasn't even sure if he was the Doctor. That thing...Rose wished she could just erase that thing from her mind. It was...

"Rose!" She heard him shout her name again. "If you don't come out here in five seconds then I'm going to - "

The sentence wasn't finished. Instead she heard a loud thump as something heavy hit the ground outside. She listened for something to make a noise but found only silence.

From the dark confines of her hiding place, Rose began to crawl out. Her hand ached from the fall she had taken earlier but she didn't care because her curiosity was back. What exactly was that loud thump?

Rose took a deep breath and steadily released it, preparing herself for what she might see. She peered around the corner and gasped.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Rose stared at the motionless figure that lay crumpled on the floor. Brown pinstriped suit, brown tousled hair and converse clad feet.

Was it the real one or the fake one? Or was the real one possessed by something else who was pretending to be the real one when in actuality it was the fake one?

Rose pushed these questions out of her head. They were too confusing. The only question she wanted answering now was, 'Why was he lying unconscious on the ground?'

Had someone attacked him? She looked around at the empty corridor. She had heard footsteps or any noises after the 'thump' from earlier.

Was he alive? She hadn't even thought about it. She had sat staring from the doorway at the unconscious figure. If this was the real Doctor then he had to be alive?

Rose rushed over, no longer caring if he was the real one or not? It was the Doctor or looked like the Doctor but she had to help either way. Just in case of the possibility it was the real one.

She checked his pulse. He was alive. Still didn't explain why he was ununconsciousut at least he was breathing.

Rose stared at the still face of the figure before her and felt so utterly lost and alone. She had to figure out whether this one was the real Doctor or not so she decided something, in that moment.

She would need to tie him up. To make sure he wouldn't go after her and, more importantly, get the Doctor back to himself, somehow, because this couldn't be the Doctor. Something must have possessed him.

Rose had been so preoccupied by her plan that she didn't noticed the flick of the hand as it surreptitiously rummaged through it's pocket grabbing a thin item. Nor did she see the squinting of his eyes as he smirked.

She had noticed nothing until she felt a hand close around her throat, susuffocatinger. She gasped for air, struggling against his tight grip.

She felt the pressure of a needle slid into the side of her neck as she watched his sick, satisfied smirk.

Rose soon fell into unconsciousness for the second time that day. The last thing she heard was his voice against his ear, more sinister than ever, as he said, "Everything is going to be okay, Rose. I promise."

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello, readers

**A/N: Hello, readers. May I firstly say that all you people who review my story are absolutely brilliant people because you have taken the time to actually review. I'm am not used to that, most of the time I only get one or two reviews but here I am with a story that has 14 of them. So wow…**

**-- **

The leather binds had been fastened tight, constricting her breathing. It was the first thing she noticed when she woke up. It was too hard to breath but somehow she managed it, despite the bonds preventing her from any sort of movement.

If that wasn't enough for Rose, she had woken to the fear that she was, indeed, paralysed.

Rose wanted to scream for help, even though she knew no one would come, but found that she couldn't scream. Couldn't talk. Couldn't even make any sound because she couldn't even move her lips.

She strained to see around the room, half expecting, to find the Doctor or his imposter, leering over her. All she could see was the white tiled ceiling. Nothing more.

She tried listening for any sound, but found nothing.

Rose was not sure if she should feel fear or relief. Where was he?

"Hello Rose..." she heard a voice speak in the silent white room. She felt the hairs prick up on the back of her neck after the first syllable was spoken. A wave of dread overcame he came into view. She wondered what was about to happened to her. Would he kill her?

"Oh Rose! Sweet, innocent Rose." He placed a hand on her cheek. Closing her eyes, she tried to turn her head away. She needed to get away from him, but couldn't.

She opened her eyes as he stared down at her brown orbs, darkened with anger and something else. There was something else in his eyes, lurking within, and was unsure whether she should be worried or not. It made his look seem strange and she wondered what exactly was he about to do to her because she felt that he wouldn't kill her but what was he going to do instead.

"You know if you had just stayed out of that room then you wouldn't have hurt your hand. You wouldn't have need to be restrained. You may be wondering why you can't move. Yes? No?" he grinned. in a sickening way that made her stomach turn, "You know it's rude not to answer people...Oh wait you can't. Silly old me! I forgot I gave you a nice little drug to stop you from moving and talking."

He turned away and Rose tried to follow him with her eyes but he stepped out of view. Tears burned in her eyes and she wanted nothing more than the Doctor, the real Doctor, to come and rescue her.

He came back into her line of view and she tried to will her mind to move her body when she saw the glint of a needle strike against the light. She saw him tie something against her upper arm but felt nothing. Saw him slid the needle, trying to scream for him to stop but no sound was made.

He grinned at her again, whilst putting down the needle. He walked towards her and leaned down, whispered in her ear, "The needle I gave you is going to loosen up your rigid muscles. Your going to be able to speak in a few minutes. Don't try to scream. It'll be pointless."

He leaned back up and she saw him tighten her restraints before his empty eyes fixed on hers.

Both stood in their positions, somewhat easier for Rose, as they stared. Both waiting for movement...for the murmur of her voice straining back to life or the flicker of her fingers.

It was several agonizing minutes for Rose. She could feel nothing but hatred for the man before her. If he was the real Doctor or not, she still felt hatred for the figure before her and knew that would not change. She just hoped she could hate him or the entity possessing him for the rest of her life but she was gripped with the fear that her life might not last as long she had hoped.

--

"Ah there we are." His penetrating gaze began to slowly fall downwards towards her hand and Rose gasped in surprise at the fact her hand was moving. She had not noticed as the tingling numbness had only just started to prickle away.

She turned to look at him and watched the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in a smirk. Her throat felt sore and hoarse but she didn't say anything. She wasn't even sure of what to say or what to do now that she had feeling back. It wasn't as if she could ask for the Doctor back. a please would not suffice either. Nor could she hit him and run seeing as she was tightly trapped, unable to move an inch let alone to try and kick him where it hurt.

"Where is it?" She was surprised when he spoke an had barely noticed the almost inaudible whisper until he repeated it again, only slightly louder.

"I..." She burst into a fit of coughing which prompted him into steading a glass of what she presumed to be water to her lips, urging her to drink. However skeptical she was to what was in the glass, she needed a drink and sipped it carefully

Once she had fully recovered he asked again, "Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're on about."

"You have to know. You're the only one who could know where it is. Your little stunt with the heart of the Tardis proved that."

Rose turned her head away, she had looked into the heart of the Tardis, she knew that but she could not remember anything beyond that. It was as if her mind made a mental blockade stopping her from seeing what had happened after hearing the enchanting music coming from the beautiful golden light...and...what had happened after that?

"Where is it?" She looked at him again, and saw that his eyes were like orbs of darkening brown that held something inside them...was it evil? Anger? Hatred? She didn't know but she didn't like that look. It caused a cascade of fear to wash over her and threatened any ounce of hope she might have from being realised as a dream that might never happen. She wanted hope - it was all she had left.

"I don't know!" She shouted back, letting the fear get the better of her.

He stepped forward, his anger rising as well as the tone and volume of his voice, "YOU HAVE TO KNOW!"

"I DON'T" She shouted back, just as angry.

His face slid into a passive mask, save for the eyes which still held their silent anger, "Well then, I guess I'll have to do this the hard way."

He turned his back to her as he walked to the side drawer, pulled it open and let his hand grasp on something she could not see.

When he turned to face her again, the sickening smirk was back and Rose was sure she had never felt anymore scared in her life.

She could not see the item in his hand, she was sure, that whatever it was, it wouldn't be a teddy bear or a free pass to getting home.

"I was originally going to get your trust of me to help get you to tell me where it was but then you had to stupidly walk into that room."

She closed her eyes trying to block out the image she had seen in there. She never wanted to see that...thing again.

"Now I'm going to give you one more chance to tell me where it is otherwise I'm going to do something neither of us are going to find pleasant. Oh who am I kidding, of course I'm going to find it pleasant. It's been so long since I last did it to a human. Now tell me...where is it?"

Rose's voice was low - just a whisper of what it normally would have sounded like but she was gripped with fear, "I don't know."

He sighed. "Oh well..." Her eyes widened when she saw the glint of metal rise from his right hand. "I would numb you for this but maybe pain will help you realise what you need to tell me."

"Don't!" She managed to shout out, "Please...don't do this!"

His eyes softened for a moment as he whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Then his hand came down on her as she closed her eyes, prepared to scream.

To be continued…

**A/N2: What exactly is he planning to do? Would I be so cruel as to actually get the Doctor to torture Rose in my story? Will I actually get time to update because of my exams next week? Who knows but remember this - reviews inspire me.**


	5. Chapter 5

"You might want to stop trying to dissect my companion

"You might want to stop trying to dissect my companion."

Rose had never been so relieved in her life to hear a voice so familiar without it sounding tainted. She opened her eyes and smiled, as the smirk faultered ever so slightly on the fake Doctor's face, the scalpel hovering over her slightly exposed torso.

She looked over to the doorway and saw the Doctor standing in all his - well, unshaven and slightly tussled glory. She never knew he actually had to shave but the surprise over fact he even had a beard (or was it more of a goatee?) was overshadowed because she didn't care.

He was real and he was her Doctor and that was all that mattered. She smiled with happiness but that feeling was soon replace as the faux-Doctor placed the scalpel dangerously close to her neck.

"Move and I'll kill her."

"Kill her and I'll kill you." said the Doctor, his eyes darkening with anger which matched his now threatening tone, "And you wouldn't kill her. You need her for whatever this is."

Rose stared on in confusion as he made a strange hand gesture, but then remembered the blade inching close to her neck. She held her breath, eyes flickering between the two Doctors.

"Then I'll kill you." said the faux-Doctor drawing the blade in his direction.

"Oh no you won't. You also need me and I'm sure that your contemporaries wouldn't be very pleased when you come back with one of your targets dead. It would be quite stupid actually. Completely totally entirely absolutely utterly idiotic."

"You won't stop me!" the faux-Doctor said forcefully.

The Doctor grinned, "Oh won't I? And how do you intend to stop me stopping you from stopping me or are you only wanting to pretend to stop me because really you want me to stop you from doing something that won't benefit anyone?"

Rose scrunched up her face in confusion that surprisingly matched the faux-Doctor. What was he going on about?

The faux-Doctor suddenly rushed forward, blade in hand as Rose shouted, "Doctor, watch out!"

--

It was surprising how easily the Doctor sidestepped the attack on him but his attacker was easily prepared and his second attack narrowly missed slicing the Doctor's torso.

"So how did you get on to my ship?" He grinned ducking as the knife sliced at the air above his now ducked head.

"Your stop at Heclacta. It was so easily done. You didn't even notice Time Lord." The faux-Doctor made another attack as the Doctor grabbed his wrist and twisted it, knocking the knife out of his hand.

"I thought there was something wrong when we left there. Why are you here? What possible reason could you have for sneaking on board and trying to kill my companion and myself?"

Pushing the faux-Doctor against the wall, he made a grab for the knife but was unsucesful as he was tripped from behind. He turned and kicked the faux-Doctor back and reached out for the knife.

Without giving his double a chance to realise what he was doing he rushed over to Rose and slit open her bonds. He grinned at her and whispered, "Run!" before once again ducking as another fist almost collided with his head.

To be continued…

**AN: So here there it was… The evil Doctor wasn't the real Doctor and Rose hasn't been tortured by a maniac. I wasn't so sure about this chapter so tell me what you think. Exams are finished! Alleluia! Oh and if you think the story is about to be resolved in a neatly tied bow then you're still in for a surprise so keep reading. ******


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I know I only updated yesterday and here we are again. I had planned to update on Saturday but I was reading my reviews and I decided since I was ahead in writing the story that I might as well update after hearing your nice reviews.**

It was surprising how easily the Doctor sidestepped the attack on him but his attacker was easily prepared and his seconh attack narrowly missed slicing the Doctor's torso.

"So how did you get on to my ship?" He grinned ducking as the knife sliced at the air above his now ducked head.

"Your stop at Heclacta. It was so easily done. You didn't even notice Time Lord." The faux-Doctor made another attack as the Doctor grabbed his wrist and twisted it, knocking the knife out of his hand.

"I thought there was something wrong when we left there. Why are you here? What possible reason could you have for sneaking on board and trying to kill my companion and myself?"

Pushing the faux-Doctor against the wall, he made a grab for the knife but was unsucesful as he was tripped from behind. He turned and kicked the faux-Doctor back and reached out for the knife.

Without giving his double a chance to realise what he was doing he rushed over to Rose and slit open her bonds. He grinned at her and whispered, "Run!" before once again ducking as another fist almost collided with his head.

--

Rose watched in horror as they fought each other, neither one willing to surender and neither one seemingly having the advantage over the other one.

The knife was long gone, lying somewhere between the white room she had been tied up in and the corridor they were fighting in. It wasn't that far in distance but when and where it had fallen was a mystery to her.

The blur of brown suits was the only thing she could see anymore. Occasionally she could see a tuft of brown on one of their faces, which she presumed to be the Doctor's beard but she couldn't be sure.

The only thing Rose knew for sure was that this needed to end. Now.

Rose picked up the nearest thing to hand, a coviently placed metal bar, and swung. Her only thought was to helping the Doctor. She wasn't sure exactly which one was which anymore but it no longer matter if she hit the wrong one, she could always hit the other one if that was the case.

The sound of metal coliding with flesh was the first sound she heard. The second was a grunt as the body flew on the ground, sliding down the corridor before becoming completely still.

"Nice shot…" She turned to look at a bearded Doctor and grinned.

"Five years worth of playing rounders for PE." She commented, as if it was the most obvious answer. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch up as she smiled her first genuine smile of the day. It was him, it was really him.

Not wasting a second she reached over and threw her arms around him, happy in the knowledge that he wasn't a monster. "Oh I missed you!" she exclaimed feeling his arms resting around hers.

"Quite right to. I'm sorry for everything." He muttered.

Pulling back, she looked him in the eye and said with complete certainty, "It wasn't your fault."

"He was inside my head. Digging through my thoughts. I saw what he was putting you through and I couldn't do anything. I tried to send my thoughts through him at times but I couldn't force him to stop and…" He looked away ashamed, "Oh, I'm sorry Rose."

She cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes, "It – wasn't – your – fault!"

She watched as a smiled tugged on his face and he leaned into her hand. She winced having forgotten about her injured hand.

"What' wrong?" The Doctor asked, concern evident on his face.

"It's nothing. I just hurt my hand.The Doctor's face grew serious as he began to check over her injured hand.

"I'll put that in a cast later." He said giving her a nod that she thought meant everything was okay.

She hugged him again and laughed as she felt something brush her face, "You really need to shave."

The Doctor looked back confused and hurt as he rubbed his growing beard, "It' not that bad!" He protested which only gained in him receiving an incredilious look from Rose, "Is it?"

Rose remained silent.

"So let's find out what my double wanted with us before he wakes up." began the Doctor, turning away from the subject of beards. The Doctor bended down beside the faux-Doctor who lay unconscious on the ground. "Does my hair really look like that?"

The Doctor never got to hear Rose's answer because she never had time to give it. Before either of them could realise, the faux-Doctor had shot up, knife in hand and sliced at the Doctor.

Feeling the metal slice against his cheek, the Doctor staggered backwards as blood poured down his hand which he held against his now injured cheek. The faux-Doctor was up once again within seconds as he attempted another attack on the Doctor.

Rose rushed forward to pull the Doctor out of the way seeing the knife in his hand but he was already wrestling once again for the knife with the faux-Doctor.

One kick sent the Doctor sprawling backwards into Rose who felt the harsh sound of the wall crack against her head before she slumped forwards, letting the darkness take over her for the final time that day.

To be continued…

**AN: Did I lure you into a false sense of security? Hopefully I did because that was what I was intending. As usual, with me and mysteries, there is always a surprise and nothing is ever what it seems so keep reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Well, you're either gonna hate me for what I'm gonna do or you're gonna be pissed off but still want to read my story…I'm hoping for the latter of the two…maybe without the pissed off part but still.**

**--**

She had woken up dazed and confused and found herself resting on the captain' chair . The first thing she felt was pain and she felt herself groan inwardly as pain throbbed from her head and her hand. Blinking cleared the foggy recesses of her mind as everything swam into focus.

She saw the time rotor slowly pulse up and down but she didn't stare at it for too long as she felt a dizzy spell coming on as she watched it. The next thing she saw was the Doctor – battered and bruised – with a small scar tracing down his face and before she knew it, she had rushed up and hugged him. Although she didn't know why she felt such a strong urge to do so.

He smiled as she let go but it was a tired smile. One that could not reach the eyes and she was sure she didn't want it to. He looked tired. "What happened to your face?

"I – I got cut." He mumbled, staring at the screen.

"Doctor, uh..what happened to my hand?"

"Huh?" He looked up from the screen, a puzzled look on his face.

"My hand?" Rose wave her bandaged hand in his face as she looked at him scunching up his face, "What?"

"Don't you remember?" She shook her head, confused before gasping at the stinging sensation at the back of her neck. She brought her uninjured hand up to trace the small stitches she found hidden under her hair. The Doctor continued, "We were on Alcatrave, me and you running for our lives from the Alcata...Big blue things, looked like elephants with a pig's snout instead of a trunk? No? Well, you tripped and fell and you hit your head so I carried you in my arms all the way to the Tardis seeing as you were knocked out. Didn't even noticed you'd hurt your hand until I got you in the medi-bay. But me being your dashing hero fixed you up. Your hand will be back to normal in a few days and I can take the stitches out later. The Tardis heals up any injuries ten times quicker than normal...well, 99.9 of the time. Actually more like 80 or maybe it's 40? At least 35 of the time."

Rose closed her eyes trying to pry back a memory from the recesses of her mind but recieved no memory of the last few days, "I can't remember anything..."

"What do you remember? What's the last thing you recall?"

Rose face scrunched up in concentration, "That would be...you heading out of the kitchen with a spanner. And a banana dakari."

"Oh that's only a week ago." He said waving his hand as if it were only a matter of seconds.

"A WEEK?!" Rose eyes widened in shock. She had lost a whole week. What had happened? Why could she remember a whole week's worth of events?

"Rose, with amnesia the amount of time differs for every injury but you're lucky. A week is nothing comapred to what it could have been. A month? A year? A whole lifetime?"

"But...what did we do?"

"In that week? Oh, we went the largest cinema in the universe and I got sick on popcorn and then I accidently spilled some coke on the console and we had to stopped for repairs for a while. So not much really. Now then anymore questions?"

"Is the Tardis okay now?"

"Oh yeah, got it fixed up and then we went to Alcatrave and you had your unfortunate accident and here we are. So why don't we visit you mother while we wait for your hand to heal up?"

Rose was sure she must have misheard him but that didn't stop her from having her mouth hanging open. "What?"

"What?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her confused face.

"You want to visit my mother?" Rose was sure her mouth was hanging open in shock and he didn't care. This was unbelievable.

"Well, you always say you wanted to visit soon since you haven't seen her in a while."

"Yeah but it's my mother. I usually have to force you to go while you're whining about how unfair it is. Aren't you afraid she'll try to hit you with the frying pan or the kettle or the iron or the spoon or the -"

"Rose I get the picture. She does like hitting me with household objects but we're visiting her and I need to do a few more repairs anyway so I'll be busy for a few days so it's a win-win situation as long as Jackie stays out of here. Now any questions?"

Rose stared at the Doctor with mild curiosity. He was acting strange. Stranger than usual but maybe he was just worried about the Tardis. Yeah that was it. He was worried about the Tardis. "No more questions. I'll just go change."

Rose turned away and headed up the corridor as the Doctor fixed in the co-ordinates. Just as she had reached the end of the corridor, she heard a loud 'BANG!' and turned to see the Doctor kick the Tardis in frustration. She considered going back until she saw him raise his head and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw something in them but that moment passed as a smile graced his face as the time rotor began to work.

Rose brushed off the look to nothing but couldn't help but feel like something was out of place. She closed the door to her room and opened the wardrobe, looking at the clothes she had stuffed in there. This stuff needed washed – badly! She went to pick up the array of clothes scattered on the ground when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

She looked towards the mirror and saw a figure staring back at her from behind. She turned intinctively but found nothing but a whisper in the air. A voice in the recesses of her mind was calling her.

"Rose..."

Yet she hadn't noticed it, too preoccupied with the fact they had landed and when she left the room, a bag of washing in hand, she failed to notice the man in the mirror.

The man in the mirror still calling her name.

Rose…

To be continued…

**AN: I'm so mean. I know, trust me I know but then again…no actually I'm just mean. Try not to hate me…**


	8. Chapter 8

Rose had never been so glad to see the Powell Estate gleaming above her in all its tattered and used glory but she didn't care. As long as her mother was there then she didn't mind what it looked like. She hadn't felt this emotionally and physically drained in a long time; she only wished she knew why. She squinted against the sun, sighing a sigh of contenment.

Looking over at the Doctor he couldn't help but notice hi sombre look and, for a moment, she was reminded of his previous incarnation. That Doctor had always been afraid of receiving and slap from one Jackie Tyler – her mother – and despite any protests he might give on the subject, she knew this incarnation was no different.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, meant for comfort, but as soon as her fingertips fell upon the material of the brown jacket, he was off walking ahead leaving Rose a little startled.

"Rose," began the Doctor, looking back at her, "Are you coming or what?"

It was at that moment she had noticed that feet had remained on the same spot after he had walked ahead of her and now that he had reached the stairs, she wondered why she had been momentarily stunned. It wasn't as if she needed him to hold her hand.

Like an impatient child, the Doctor grew bored of waiting for Rose to hurry up and Rose rushed forward in an attempt to catch up with him as he bolted up the stairs that led to the block of flats she used to call her home.

"Doctor! Wait!" Surprisingly the Doctor had heard her and when she finally cuaght up with him, she found him leaning against the rail staring down at the strets below. An odd look on his face, "What are you looking at?"

He turned to her and shrugged, "Nothing. Just looks weird from up here."

"What does?"

"My ship," He paused, "Ready to meet your mother?"

She watched him with a grin on her face. Raising an eybrow she replied, "Are you?"

--

"Rose you're home!" screamed Jackie grabbing her daughter into a bear hug as soon as she came through the door. She pulled back, finally noticing the state her daughter was in and began to advance threateningly towards the Doctor, "What did you get her into now?"

The Doctor stared around his shoulder, having not realised he was talking to him, "Huh?"

"Don't you play innocent with me. You promised to keep my daughter safe and what do you go and do? Look at her hand!"

"Mum…"

"No Rose. I want to hear what this lummox has to say for himself!"The Doctor struggled to find words and Rose tried not to laugh at the range of faces he was going through in order to find the right words – confronting her mother always seemed to leave him this way, "Well? Out with it!"

The Doctor's mouth hung open and no words came out. Suddenly he shrugged, turned around and walked out the door. All he left behind were two surprised blondes and the sound of a door slamming.

A few seconds later and Jackie went straight after him,like a hunter targeting its prey but there was no Doctor to be found. Rose, for one moment, feared he had left her and she looked over the railing to see the Tardis standing in all its blue glory. Relieved after seeing its prescence, she had failed to notice her mother had been talking to her.

"What?"

"Rose, what did he do?"

"What do you mean, 'What did he do?'. He didn't do anything."

"Rose, I'm only concerned. You're off who knows where and I'm left behind here worrying about you. And you come home and look what happened to your hand. And you can deny it all you want but I know this is his fault. I can see how guilty he is after what he just did and when I see him again then I'm-"

Seeing that her mum would most likely have a long list of what she would like to do to the Doctor - many of which involving the Tyler slap or an kitchen utensil being aimed at the Doctor's head - she knew she had to interupt,"Mum, I fell! It was my fault! Not the Doctor's so leave him alone. He's only a bit stressed, that's all."

Jackie was quiet and Rose wondered what she would say next. She knew she was worried. Life with the Doctor was dangerous, she knew that and so did her mother, "He is taking care of you Rose, isn't he?"

Rose first instinct was to say 'Yes of course' but something stopped her and for a second she could not get the fact she had lost a week. A whole week of memories that she had lost because of being with the Doctor. Rose gave her mother a amall smile and replied, "Yes, of course," because there was nothing else he could say that wouldn't cause her mother to worry.

"As long as he takes care of you then that's fine. I could do with a cuppa."

"Mmmmm…me too," Rose smile widened. There was tea on a lot of aloien planet but they never seemed to be as good as her mothers, "Make the Doctor one too, will you? I'll go see why he's in a bad mood."

"Bloody alien's more stroppy than a teenager." Rose rolled her eyes at her mother's response.

Rose headed down the steps. She wondered had happened to leave him in such a bad mood and why wouldn't he tell her? Did he not trust her? Did she cause the bad mood? She couldn't remember what happened but that didn't mean she hadn't done something to annoy him. Was he-

Rose stopped at the sight before and began to rush forward as fear crept up her spine, "Doctor!"

To be continued…

**AN: Sorry to give you a cliffhanger again but I did what had to be done. Plus I'm mean, at least when it comes to this story. Plus I came up with an idea and I'm mean. I can't believe how many reviews I've had so far. I never get this many reviews. And this is one of the first multi-chapter stories that I've actually updated regularly (meaning at least once a week). Oh and if you want to review and tell me what you think so far, you know where the button is.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Longest chapter yet. I'm so proud of myself. There is a flashback of sorts to an earlier time so tell me what you think of it. Oh and I was thinking of bringing Mickey into this story since she's back home. I haven't specified when this is set between so I could. Should I? **

**AN2: Oh and did anyone see Saturday's ep. Midnight was so awesome. I set out with a feeling I wasn't going to enjoy it because of the whole knocking thing but that just blew me away after I saw it. I felt so sorry for him when he was repeating her…poor Doctor. Oh and if anyone's interested, I made a fic involving that ep called, 'Midnight Ghost' so if you like Rose/Doctor you should read it. Anyway, on with the story. **

--

"Doctor!" Rose rushed forward towards the Doctor who was leaning against the wall, clutching his side. Rose's gaze fixated on the red crimson stain, "What happened?"

He took a ragged breath, pain clearly evident on his face, "I ripped my stitches. Shouldn't have ran up those stairs."

"Come on and give me your arm. I don't think you can manage those stairs by yourself." she said bringing his arm around her neck, "I'm taking you to my Mum's flat. It's closer than the Tardis. I don't think you can manage getting all the way down there and then I'll go down and get the stuff to fix you up."

He mumbled a response she couldn't quite make out. There was a lot of blood. Why hadn't he told her?

"Doctor…" She asked after he managed a few steps. The blood loss must be getting to him. Rose couldn't help but silently pray he wouldn't pass out on her.

"Hmmrff…" was his response and that could practically be interpreted as anything.

"Doctor! Stay awake! I need you to stay awake for me." She shouted at him after he almost caused them both to topple over under his weight. He was surprisingly heavier than he looked. Who knew someone as skinny as him could be this heavy?

After she made it to her floor, she was practically dragging him towards the flat.

"Come on Doctor. It's just a few more steps. Come on, that's it. Just a few more…." She whispered encouragingly to him. "Mum!" she shouted hoping her mother wasn't on the phone again.

After the third shout, Rose was relieved to hear the door open and Jackie popped her head out, "I've put on the kettle and I got a few biscu-" Jackie stopped seeing her daughter, the time lord hanging onto her, barely conscious. He then noticed the blood stain and screamed.

"Mum! Keep it down! Help me get him inside!"

--

Rose carefully cut away his shirt with her one good hand and felt tears well up in her eyes but she forced them back. This wasn't the time to cry. Her other injured hand, didn't hurt much. She had taken a couple of painkillers when she went to get the stuff to fix the Doctor up. She knew she would need them if she was going to stitch this back up. Two hands were needed and even if one of them was damaged, it wouldn't matter.

She was determined to fix the Doctor.

The Doctor had long lost consciousness and she feared if she didn't get this done soon that the regeneration cycle might start once more. She didn't want to go through that again. She had just gotten used to the _new _Doctor.

Rose dabbed the blood around the wound with a wet cloth before picking up the needle.

She had done this once before but she had always hoped this would never happen again. It turns out that hopes did not always come true.

She closed her eyes for a second and remembered…

It had started out a normal day (As normal as it could get on the Tardis) until the distress call came. It didn't bother her or the Doctor. It never did, truth be told but it was not easy to say that the death didn't.

Death was the first sight she saw when they left the Tardis. From above it came, crashing, crushing, chomping that poor man to death and she had buried her head into the Doctor's arms, unable to look anymore. She knew he wouldn't look away. His brown eyes fixated on the image before him, seeing how wrong it was but he wouldn't look away because if he looked away then that man's death wouldn't mean something.

Then they had ran. Kept running until they found safety. Still the images of that man dying scream in her mind, the blood pouring out everywhere, his insides scattering the ground…it was too much to take in and it clouded her vision, making her feel sick.

It was those times she hated this life but she wouldn't change it all the same. It had been her choice to come. All her and the Doctor could do now was try and save everyone else as well as themselves.

The Doctor had called it a Veptaur. A fully-grown Veptaur with no sense of right or wrong. All it saw was meat and it was hungry. The only way to deal with it was to kill it. She knew the Doctor hated that fact but he also knew what had to be done.

He also knew they needed to get back to the Tardis; they needed something to stop it. He had told her to stay where it was safe and she had refused. He should know her by now; he did but he always wanted her safe. He may have changed but she had not.

So he had tried to one thing that might shock her into staying put; he kissed her.

Full on the lips and when he broke away into a run, she had stood there completely shocked by it. By the time her brain had processed what had just happened, he was no where to be seen

She ran back to where she thought the Tardis was. She wasn't sure. After seeing that man being ripped apart, she had been dazed by the images of it replaying in her head so she had let the Doctor pull her into a run; not really paying attention to her surroundings.

She may have even more dazed by him kissing her but she was even more determined to make sure he was safe.

When she saw him outside the Tardis, she couldn't help but grin until she saw what he was staring at and fear overtook her.

He hadn't noticed her; his eyes were only on the beast in front of him. He hadn't been wearing any jacket. Only his white shirt, rolled up at the sleeves. He rose what appeared to be a large water gun but it was filled with some sort of strange liquid and he squirted.

He was running in circles, shouting wildly and coaxing it on and she remembered laughing at the absurdity of it. That was until…

He slipped.

Then there was no more laughing, just fear and running. She watched as his head hit the ground with a sickening thud and it pounced on him in an instant. Rose pushed her legs to go faster. The gun had clattered on the ground, sliding towards her.

She had remembered picking it up and pulling the trigger, letting the purple liquid wash over the monster as it disappeared into thin air. It's cry of death still ringing in her ears.

No sooner than it had disappeared had she rushed over to the Doctor. He looked a mess and tears were falling freely from her face. He's wasn't moving and she falling apart because he can't be dead. His clothes were ripped to shreds and long jagged cuts cover his chest.

There's blood everywhere – his blood - pouring out of him and seeping on the cold, rough ground.

She lifted him inside. No one needs to see him like this. Doesn't even know where they've landed. She only got as far as the grating before she slams the door and runs to the medi-bay to get the anti-gravity stretcher. She wouldn't be able to carry him on her own.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she got back to him but she felt guilty for leaving him on his own. He's barely breathing and his heartbeat (only one) is faint.

When she actually got him to the medi-bay she felt lost and confused but it wasn't the time to fall apart. It wasn't the time to focus on the fact she's covered in blood.

His blood.

She needs to find out what' wrong and fix him up. The old him had taught her how to use some of the stuff in here. She hoped she could remember. It had seemed like years ago…

His scan had told her that the attack had left his internal organs unscathed. All he needed was for her to stitch him up and pump him up with blood and vitamins. She had wished he was making a joke about being fine at that moment but he was still unconscious and no matter what the scanning device was saying, that worried her.

She remembered removing what was left of his shirt, cleaning the wounds before she was left holding the needle in her shaking hand. She remembered pushing it through one piece of skin and out the other.

Just like sowing curtains, he had once told her when he was still wearing a leather jacket and his eyes were piercing blue.

Somehow she couldn't think of sowing his skin to be in any way the same thing.

When she was done, she had felt a mixture of pride and anxiety. She had done it but did she do it right?

She had waited by his side for hours, waiting for him to wake up. She held his hand and let her tears fall silently only once. She refused to leave the room – too afraid something would happen if she left.

If he had woken up, she wouldn't want him to think she had left him in his own. If he didn't, she would feel too guilty anyway. She had left him on his own once already today. She wouldn't do it again.

It had taken him 3 hours, 46 minutes and 22 seconds to wake up. The computer had somehow determined a time from his injuries and it had been counting up from that moment when she heard a cough.

She had never been more relieved I her life, "Hi…" she said, leaning over him.

"Hello there…" He gave her a grin and she wanted to kill him for risking his life.

"You're a bloody idiot."

"Glad your happy to see me." He said, still grinning.

She just hugged him in response, clinging on for dear life, "Don't you ever do that to me again. Promise me."

"I won't…I promise."

And she had believed him. Maybe that's why he had chosen not to tell her now. He didn't want to force her to remember that last time he was injured. It had almost torn her apart.

She had fixed him then and she would fix him again now and then everything would be alright. Everything would get back to normal.

There was no trace of those wounds. It had happened only a few months ago but there were no scars. The only thing that proved that had ever happened was her memories and his.

Keeping that memory in mind - he had lived through that and he would live through this, she took a deep breath, before she lowered the needle to his skin.

"How is he?" asked Jackie, a cup of tea in her hand. Rose couldn't help but wonder why tea always seemed to be the solution to all life's problems, at least in her mother's eyes it was.

"Better, I think. His second heartbeat's back so things are looking better. That blood pack seems to be doing the trick."

"You can tell him when he wakes up that he's paying for a new sofa since he's bleed all over this one." Rose looked at the sofa, and was shocked at how much blood was actually on it, "I won't be able to have anyone over. I mean I was looking forward to cooking a meal for Howard…"

Rose couldn't help but wonder if she might have been saving forward from her mother's cooking. It wasn't that her mother couldn't cook; she could but that was mainly at Christmas or her birthday but the rest of the time was filled with food that tasted…strange. She had always snuck out for a bag of chips with Mickey growing up to save herself from the off-putting taste.

"Rose?"

"What?" She looked up at her mother, and hoped it wasn't too obvious that she had topped paying attention.

"I'm going to pop out to the chippy. Don't feel like cooking. Want anything?"

"Um…" In truth, she didn't feel that hungry but she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten and she knew the Doctor would be complaining if he woke up and found they had ate chips without him, "Yeah, I'll have a bag of chips."

Her mother smiled at her and Rose muttered her goodbye's as she left.

Staring at an unconscious Doctor felt strange. The first time he had just regenerated. He had been ill. He muttered a lot in his sleep but that was mainly because of the fever. When the fever had been down, he just looked like he was sleeping.

The second time had been after his attack. After she had stitched him up, she could help but think how peaceful his expression looked. It had been a strange sight but a comforting one all the same.

This time he didn't look peaceful. He didn't have a fever. He didn't look like he was just sleeping. He looked troubled, haunted even and she wished he would wake up so he would make things better.

She reached out tracing the scar on his cheek. How had he gotten it?

His cheek felt rough and he couldn't help but wonder if it was the leftovers of stubble but the Doctor with a stubble? That was a laugh in itself. She didn't even know if he shaved.

The scar felt new. It was red and raw and she knew it must have happened around the same time she had hurt her hand. She still wasn't sure how that happened either. He had told her she had fallen but he gave her no details; at least not any proper ones.

She gasped when she felt a strong hand grip her wrist, squeezing it tightly, "Doctor!"

His eyes shot open. He blinked a few times, confused before resting his gaze on her. His grip loosened. "Tickles…" he muttered.

"Why did you tell me you were hurt?" He opened his mouth, words lost on his lips. He paused and she stared at him, "Well?"

"You sound like your mother."

"Shut up! I do not!" she said, grinning. She was meant to be angry with him for not telling her, he was injured. She wasn't meant to be grinning at him.

"Yes you do!"

"Do not! Now tell me."

He remained silent for a few moments and she couldn't help but wonder why he wouldn't just come out with it, "I didn't want you to worry."

"Oh and I wasn't worried when you walked out and I found you bleeding out on the stairs."

"I ripped them going up the stairs. I hadn't noticed until your mother started shouting at me. I thought I could get down to the Tardis to stitch them up but I was wrong."

She couldn't help but wonder how she lived with such an idiot and she remembered why. She loved that bloody idiot, warts and all. Warts in this case being (since he didn't have any physical warts) the thought that he could deal with everything by himself because he thinks he's so clever.

She looked into his eyes, and felt herself say the words she had muttered months ago, "Don't you ever do that to me again. Promise me."

"Fine. Sure." He said, nodding his head. She could help but feel like she didn't believe him this time.

To be continued…

**AN: This was meant to be shorter because I wasn't going to put in the last part until the next chapter but I didn't think it would work as well, seeing as it ties in with the flashback thing. Well, I hope you liked that and if you did then you know what to do. Come on, you know you want to. I wasn't mean this time. You see…no cliffhangers (for once). ******


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Well, here it is – another chapter. I'm actually quite proud of myself now. This is the first time I've written a story that has over 10,000 words in ages and I have how many reviews? 50? **_**faints from shock**_** Whuh…where am I? _looks at screen_ Wow, 50 reviews…have I mentioned how much I love you reviewers. I haven't? Well, I here it is. I love you brilliant people who review and give hope and happiness to the very pessimistic person that I am. Now I actually need more cheering up because my partially dying tooth nerve has been acting up again (Very painful by the way. The first time I had it, it was my birthday. Being on pain on your birthday is evil and cruel) o if you want to make me feel better, then you know what to do – review! Now…on with the story. ******

--

"Doctor, do you want some chips?" Rose said, offering the bag over to him.

He cringed, his nose turning upwards in disgust at the sight of food, "No…" Rose gave him a look, "What?"

"You never turn down chips!"

"I just don't feel like eating anything," He stood up, "Now if you'll excuse me I have some repairs to do to the Tardis."

Rose was about to protest when Jackie pushed him back down on to the sofa, "You're not going anywhere. My Rose dragged your half dead carcass up here the last time you went down and she's not going to do it again so you're staying right here where we can keep an eye on you."

"But…" He looked between them, "I'm fine!"

"I don't care. Now shut your trap. I'm trying to watch Eastenders," commented Jackie, sitting in between the Doctor and Rose.

"Right then, I'm going to bed." Rose said, getting up, "I'm so tired."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart." Jackie said as Rose pecked her on the cheek.

"I'm going to bed too." The Doctor said, gaining two strange looks. He gave them a quick smile before rushing out the door, "Night!"

Jackie turned her gaze from the door towards her daughter, "Do you want to go get him or shall I?"

"I think you should this time. I'm knackered!"

--

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Owwww!" The Doctor shouted, as Jackie dragged him by the ear into the flat, "Let me go! OW! Let go!"

"Get in there and don't even think about trying to leave again." Jackie let go, watching the Doctor rub his now throbbing ear.

"Where am I meant to sleep?"

"There!" Jackie pointed to the bloodstained sofa.

"I'm not sleeping there. I'm going back to the Tardis."

"No, you're not!" she retorted, standing in front of the door, "I'm not having Rose awake with worry all night because you're out there by yourself!"

He rolled his eyes, "Jackie, I don't care at this very moment because I have other things to do, mainly repairs. Now get out of my way!"

His eyes were dark with anger and frustration and had it been anyone else other than Jackie Tyler, they may have scampered there and then, but Jackie Tyler was unaffected by that look.

"No!" said Jackie, hands on hips, "So what you going to do about it?"

--

Rose turned over in her sleep; eyes wide open, staring at the wall. Her body ached with exhaustion but her mind would not shut off or maybe it didn't want to. Her mind was filled with puzzles, waiting to be solved; the most important of which was her missing week of memories.

She had wondered if her mum had gotten the Doctor to sleep. She smiled, imagining her mother threatening him with another household item. The last time they had visited, her mum had whacked him over the head with the telephone after he started eating the marmalade. He couldn't seem to stay away from the stuff without sticking his fingers in it.

Rose sighed, as another minute without sleep passed. She had heard them arguing a while back. It was silent now so she presumed he had reluctantly agreed.

Rose pulled back the covers. She needed to check; to make sure he hadn't tried to sneak out.

--

The room was silent as she opened the door. There was someone lying asleep on the sofa. The only problem was, it wasn't the Doctor.

Rose walked over, kneeling, "Mum, why are on the couch?"

Jackie groaned as she woke up groggily from her sleep, "Dunno. I must have fallen asleep."

Rose raised her eyebrows. Her mum wouldn't fall asleep. Well, not so soon after arguing the Doctor. Rose turned her head to see behind her before turning back, "Where's the Doctor?"

Jackie sat up, looking around confused, "He was here a minute ago," She paused, her face growing angry, "I'm gonna kill that bloody alien."

Rose sighed, "Mum, I'm gonna go sleep on the Tardis. He's not gonna sleep up here."

"I better not wake up in the morning and find out that you've disappeared off with that alien again."

"I promise, Mum." Rose gave her mother a small smile as she left the flat.

Jackie watched the door close, confusion evident on her face. She didn't want Rose to worry but she couldn't remember how she had gotten on the couch. One minute she had been fighting with the Doctor. The next she had found Rose standing over her.

What had happened in between?

--

Rose gave the blue box a pat before she took the Tardis key out of her pocket. She wasn't surprised he had locked it. Jackie was out there and he was intending not to be in the vicinity, especially when her mother was angry with him. She placed the key in the locked and turned.

It jammed.

She tried again and once again was greeted by a locked door.

"Doctor!" She shouted against the wood, "Doctor, let me in! My mum's not here!" No response, "Doctor?"

She gave up her attempts at shouting for the Doctor, just in case she woke up half the Powell Estate. Although they had seen louder people shouting later than this; most of them drunk out of their minds. She hadn't been out drinking in ages, or to a pub, or club or anywhere else like that, if she thought about it.

It was strange how different life with the Doctor could actually be.

She placed her hand on the wood on the Tardis again and began to whisper to the presence behind the wood. It was something she had learned a while back after she had forgotten her Tardis key once. She had learned to keep it around her neck from that point onwards.

The doors swung open and Rose gave the Tardis a mutter of thanks as she went inside. Rose looked around to find an empty console room. Where had he gone to now?

--

Rose tried the medi-bay first, seeing as he wasn't in the console room. That was strange in itself. He was always in there. She wouldn't be surprised if he slept there, although did he actually sleep? She had never seen him sleep; well, not including those moments of unconsciousness.

She hoped he hadn't done anything stupid, like ripping his stitches again. She was relieved to find the medi-bay empty but that feeling was soon replaced with worry.

What if he had hurt himself? What if something bad had happened to him? What if…

Rose shook those thoughts out of her head, refusing to acknowledge them. The Doctor would be fine. He would probably in the library, reading a book.

He wasn't.

Or maybe he was in the Kitchen. He hadn't eaten much. She probably would find him on the verge of snogging the marmalade jar again.

She didn't.

Maybe he was in his bedroom. Did he have a bedroom? She had never seen it. In all her time travelling with him, she had never seen his room. He always popped in and out of hers, sometimes when it would have been better to knock first.

He did need to learn to knock first before entering a room but he would always say, "Rose, I'm a time lord. Why would I need to knock? I'm always on time so no one should mind me not knocking. So why would I?" She would always mutter something about being polite and he would take on her words with a nod and the next day he would do it again.

Rose headed off in the direction where she thought his room might be. She had, from what she could remember, seen him head down this way more recently so hopefully she would come across the Doctor soon enough.

--

"Doctor!" She looked around the empty corridor, still shouting for the Doctor. Walking ahead, she decided that this was enough.

That was it. She was giving up. She couldn't –

She stopped, turning around. That door…it looked so familiar. It was different than the rest of them - bigger and thicker. It was strange to think how a large iron door could look so out of place in this corridor…on this ship for that matter.

She closed her eyes, her hand hovering against it. There was something in there; she could feel it. She knew it. She just wasn't sure what it was. The fear she felt rose from the pit of her stomach.

There was something off about this room. A strange vibe emitted off the room, creating a sense of uneasiness. She could not remember feeling like this in all her life but it was familiar. Pushing past the fear and anxiety, her hand went to the handle, resting there momentarily. In the back of her mind, she could feel the need to run away rise but a life with the Doctor had helped her to ignore that voice so she gripped the handle and pushed down.

Her eyes shot open again. It was locked.

So she tried again before knocking lightly on it, "Doctor, are you in there?"

She received no noise from the other side, alerted to her nearby prescience. She pressed her ear against the door, to be sure. There was only silence.

She stepped back and headed back down the direction she had came. Maybe the Doctor was in the console room now. Sparing one glance at the door, her uneasiness drifted away with each step.

In the dark shadows, Rose had failed to notice that at the other end of the corridor, the Doctor had been watching. His eyes fixed on her as she turned the corner and walked out of his sight. His gaze shifted to the locked door and he too walked past it, not sparing it another glance.

He could sense it though. He just hoped Rose couldn't remember what was in there. It was better for all concerned if she didn't.

--

The Doctor bundled into the console room, smiling brightly, "Come on, Rose. Let' head back up to the flat before your mother makes mince meat outta me. And we bothe know she's crazy enough to do it," He paused, looking up in thought, "Although mince meat doesn't actually contain…You're staring at me. Why are you staring at me?"

"Where the bloody hell were you? I was looking all over the Tardis for you and I couldn't find you anywhere." She replied, eyebrows raised as she waited for him to answer, her annoyance rising, "Well?"

"I was just in the boiler room…"

Rose mouth stood agape, "We have a boiler room?"

"Yes we do and Rose…"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"You're acting like your mother again." She threw him a dirty look, which he seemingly chose to ignore.

"Now let's get back to your mothers before she thinks I'm trying to run off with you again."

Rose turned and stood in front of him, blocking the exit. She didn't know what ahd compelled her to ask him this, "Doctor are you alright?"

"Me? I'm always alright." He flashed her his winning smile before gently pushing her out of the way, "Although I don't think I'll be alright if your mother gets her hands on me."

"Yeah, she'd eat you up alive."

"And she'd go back for seconds."

Rose snorted, causing the Doctor to throw her a strange look, "Well, I don't think there would be enough of you for seconds."

"Oi!" he protested, "I'm not that skinny!"

"You so are," he retorted playfully, "But if I didn't see you guzzle down so much food everyday, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you never ate."

"Well…" His voice trailed off, his eyes staring blankly ahead. It was almost as if he was looking at something.

Rose followed his gaze and for a moment there was something there, a whisper of a body, dust being blown away in the wind but it must have been her imagination. She looked back to the Doctor again, his eyes wide with unspoken shock and she began to wonder if it was not her imagination.

What if there had been something there?

**AN: Am I shocking you all? Can any of you figure out of this is the real Doctor or not? Am I still mean? Did that count as a cliffhanger? Well, only you can answer those questions and you all know how to do it. It's the button called review. I look forward to hearing from you. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Was going to post this up on Friday or Saturday but I'm not sure if I'd have time to since my grandmother died yesterday. So i hope you like this chapter...reviews are appreciated and you know what to do if you want to leave one. So, let's get on with the story...**

**--**

Rose sat staring at the ceiling, wondering what had shocked the Doctor so much outside. He had brushed it off, reverting instantly back to the Doctor she knew. Any questions she asked about it, he had ignored or changed the subject.

Now he was snoring lightly on her bedroom floor. She gazed down at him, there is was again. That look; that pained look - something was definitely bothering him. She just wished he would tell her what it was.

It couldn't be good for him to bottle up his feelings. He may have been the new new Doctor but he sure was acting like the old one in that sense. Always holding back things from her, trying to protect her but this was ridiculous.

What had happened? What had happened in that week of lost memories that had caused him to be so reluctant to tell her. What could be so bad that he would try and hide the truth from her?

What had been outside?

Rose leaned back against the pillow, tearing her gaze away from the Doctor. He was a puzzle that needed to be solved, just like her missing week of memories but neither of them looked like they were going to be solved soon.

Rose closed her eyes, ignoring the aching pit in her stomach. She sighed one last sigh before sleep took over.

--

The darkness was all around her as her footsteps echoed against the harsh ground. Rose wondered where she was and how she had gotten here. She had no recollection and that worried her, more than the darkness and even more so than being on her own.

"Doctor?" Rose called out but all she was met with was silence, "Doctor, where are you?"

She closed her eyes, trying to listen for a sound - any sound. When she opened them there was no noise but through the sheet of darkness there was no a speck of light.

She walked towards, her pace slowly picking up into a run as the light got closer and closer. She was nearly there and she could hear something. She could hear people laughing.

And then it was gone and she was left with the darkness.

"Rose..."

She turned to the sound of a voice calling out her name but found no one. She waited for whoever it was to say her name again.

"Rose..."

The voice was closer now and right behind her but once again she was alone in the darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

No answer.

"Doctor? Is that you?"

No answer.

"ROSE!" She turned and gasped as the ghostly figure of the Doctor lunged towards her. She fell as his ghostly image wisped away like dust in the wind. Her hands brushed the soft ground...

Wait, the soft ground?

Rose sat up to find she was grasping her blanket as she breathed out one word, "Doctor..."

--

The sunlight seeped through her bedroom, the warmth of it lightly heating her hand. She had been awake for minutes, still staring at the ceiling, listening to the Doctor's breaths.

The dream still haunted her. She closed her eyes, willing it to leave her mind. Either that or to make some sort of sense but both options seemed to elude her grasp.

She opened her eyes again, staring over at the clock. The red neon letters flashed brightly at her. 6:43

Her mother would be asleep for a while longer and by the looks of it, so would the Doctor. She lightly swung her legs over the bed and stood up, taking some clean clothes out of wardrobe. She stepped around the Doctor, who didn't stir and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

After changing, she wrote a note informing her mother that she popped out for a walk and that she'd be back soon. Rose just needed some time to think, to clear her head of the dream. It had been strange in all sense, disturbing even.

What had it meant?

--

The cool morning air felt refreshing, and Rose instantly felt more alert for being outside. She had spent almost an hour walking around aimlessly and she had felt no clearer about the meaning of her dream.

Glancing at her watch, it was nearly eight. She knew her mother would be worried, the Doctor too if he were up but she didn't want to go back to the flat.

Not yet so it wasn't a surprise when she had somehow managed to end up at Mickey's.

She smiled a genuine smile when she saw the tired yawn escape his mouth, still having not noticed who had knocked at his door. That smile turned into a grin when he finally noticed her properly.

"Rose!" He swept her up in a hug before leaning back, "When did you get back?"

She bit her lip, "Yesterday…"

His face fell as he sadly said,"And you forgot about me?"

"No…we were busy. I had to stitch up the Doctor."

"Why? What for? What happened? What's up with your hand?" The questions spilled out his mouth so fast that Rose had to clamp a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Mickey," She smiled at him again, "Any chance of a cuppa?"

--

"So what do you think it means?" Mickey looked at her, as curious as she had ever seen him before, "I mean it's not exactly a normal dream. And you can't remember a whole week. That suspicious, ain't it?"

"Mickey, do not mention a word about me forgetting a week to my mother because she will kill the Doctor if she finds out." Rose raised her finger in warning, hoping that her face was as threatening as she hoped it looked. Although she knew Mickey would most likely keep quiet about it, she couldn't help but think a small part of him would cherish at the sight of the Doctor being injured by her mother. It was that small part that made her worried enough to give him 'the look'.

"Don't worry…" He bit his lip, "Mum's the word."

"Oi! Shut it!" She slapped him playfully on the chest and he gasped, pretending to be shocked. She let out a small chuckle.

"But Rose, I mean you can't travel with him if he won't even tell you what happened. And you said it yourself, he's been distant."

Rose gazed at Mickey; he was trying to get her to stay again. She knew it, but she wouldn't let on. She would never leave that life. Not for anything. She could never go back to simple shop girl staying at home, eating beans on toast and living a mundane life.

"Yeah but…" Rose sighed, trying to word it just the right way, "He's just trying to protect me. I think he keeps thinking I'll leave him because he changed…and, I dunno…He thinks that if he keeps me in a protective bubble then I won't be freaked out."

"Sounds freaky enough to me. You just compared yourself hamster in a bubble."

"I didn't!"

"You did…" Mickey looked towards the ground and Rose could sense what was coming from his sheepish gaze, "Rose, uh…do you want to go for some dinner later? You know, maybe some fish and chips even. I mean we don't have to go anywhere proper if you don't want to…but still…"

She bit her lip. She really didn't want to hurt his feelings but she just didn't see him like that anymore. It was strange to think of him as her ex-boyfriend in the first place. How had it even happened?

And she remembered…he had been there for her when she needed him. After the massacre of a relationship she had had with Jimmy Stone, she had turned to Mickey for comfort and they had eventually ended up going out.

Things were so different now. He was more of a friend; a best friend even but nothing more.

"Well, maybe. We'll see. Mum might end up cooking for the Doctor and me so you never know. You can come over if you want to…I should head back anyway. She'll be worried where I went. And with the Doctor there, they'd probably be at war by now."

"Yeah…yeah, sure…"She got up and grabbed his cup, bringing it over to the sink and began to wash it, "You don't have to do that. I'll do it later."

"Sorry force of habit."

She stared down at the cup. She seemed to do that a lot, cleaning up other people's messes. She turned off the water and paused, looking at the glass that had been filled up with water. It had just been sitting there in the middle of the sink. A spec of dirt was on it and Rose found herself staring at it intently and suddenly her mind flashed to the Doctor feeding her sips of water.

The only problem was she had no idea when that had happened…"Rose?"

She turned around, back in Mickey's flat, "Yeah?"

"You coming?"

"Sorry I was miles away." She put an arm through Mickey's and they walked out of flat.

--

"Rose, thank god you're back." The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and hid behind her, "She trying to make me…" He paused, taking a big dramatic gulp, "Cook!"

"What?"

"She's trying to make me cook. Me? A Time Lord? Cooking? How preposterous?" The Doctor's arms flared wildly. Rose raised her eyebrow in surprise and Mickey scoffed behind her.

"Mate, are you afraid of a bit of cooking?" Mickey grinned at the Doctor.

"Why don't you do it then?" The Doctor retorted, Mickey's grin faltered.

"Yeah, Mickey you can help me since that alien git won't do a thing!" said Jackie, shouting from the kitchen.

"What?" yelped Mickey. The Doctor grinned smugly, "Why do I have to?"

Jackie came out of the kitchen, rubbing her hands on a dishcloth, "Because I need someone with two working hands and his probably has some weird alien germs on them or something."

"But I don't cook."

"Go on, Mickey! You were offering me dinner earlier. Show me what you've got!" Rose added, hoping to talk to the Doctor. Also Mickey cooking, a priceless sight to see.

Mickey mouth opened, a response almost forming on his lips but it closed immediately and was replaced with a smile, "Alright then. I can beat that alien at cooking any day."

"Don't forget to wear your frilly apron." The Doctor smiled, attempting not to laugh and so was Rose, trying not to picture Mickey in a frilly apron.

Mickey left the room, rolling his eyes at the Doctor's remark, which only caused the Doctor's grin to widen.

Rose turned to the Doctor and bit her lip. Should she tell him about her dream? He always trusted the Doctor and maybe it would make more sense to him. Maybe it would help him to open up to her about what had happened? Everything that had happened during that week?

"Doctor…" He looked over, a soft smile still on his face, "I need to tell you something…"

To be continued…

**AN: will she tell him? How will he react if she does? Will this give away if he is the real Doctor or not? What...Oh, you get the drift. New ep in a few days and I can barely contain my excitement... **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I was suffering through a little writer's block this weekend, but I got past it and I am now really proud with where I am going with my story, including this chapter. I should leave you to read the story...oh but one more thing, OMG did you see Saturday's ep? Dear god, that was evil of RTD…that was just an evil ending. Brilliant episode, but that was one hell of an evil ending.**

**--**

"Rose…" He paused, and Rose could not help but wonder what his reaction might be, "How long has this been going on?"

Rose blinked at him for a moment, her face knotting into a slight frown. She had not been expecting him to have that response, "Uh…not long."

He raised his eyebrow, confused, "And you think I can help?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Well, yeah…kind of."

"Rose, I don't think I can help. I mean-"

"Rose, where do you keep the sugar?" Mickey popped his head in, interrupting the Doctor from finishing his sentence.

"Ask Mum." Mickey's head popped back in, "What were you saying?"

"Well, I was going to say that-"

Mickey interrupted again, "She's on the phone."

Rose sighed; frustrated by him before trying to think back to where her mum usually kept the sugar but she couldn't remember. This life had seemed so long ago, "I dunno, check the cupboards."

The Doctor continued, "Well, I was going to say that I don't think I can-"

"Rose! I can't find any!" shouted Mickey from the kitchen, causing Rose to roll her eyes, "Can you go out and get some?"

"Fine…" she stood up, and pulled the Doctor up with her, "You're coming along to."

The Doctor whined, scrunching up his face, "But I really need to start repairs on the Tardis."

"Oh, it'll only take five minutes." He gave her a exuberated sigh before pretending to be dragged along by her. She rolled her eyes at him before swatted him lightly on the arm. He instantly straightened, "Oh and don't even think about running down those stairs. You're going to take it easy. I'm not dragging you up them again."

The Doctor stepped outside, squinting against the sunlight. He closed his eyes, letting the heat wash over him. Rose went to grab his hand and couldn't help but notice how cold it was. It was never this cold, "Doctor, are you alright?"

He opened his eyes and stared down at her before giving a simple nod and a small smile. His hand was so cold and that worried her. The last time it had felt so cold he had been…but he couldn't be, could he?

"So what were you saying in there before Mickey interrupted you?" she asked, trying to stop her mind from thinking unlikely thoughts. Impossible thoughts…improbable thoughts – nothing is impossible. The Doctor taught her that, but that had to be impossible, didn't it? He never would-

"Well, I don't think I can help you get back those missing week of memories. It would be probably better to just let them come back in their own time. You could end up losing more if I tried to interfere."

Rose face fell, "Yeah, I suppose you're right, but it's just so frustrating. Not being able to remember."

Rose was being honest, at least about that. She could not bring herself to tell him about her dreams. As soon as the thought formed in her mind, she was intent on telling him. She really was but different words had ended up tumbling out of her mouth. Anyway it was just one dream, one silly dream. It couldn't mean anything, could it? If she had anymore-strange dreams then she would tell him, but for now it was probably best not to.

"Well, hopefully they will come back, but Rose there is a chance that those memories might never return. Just try not to get annoyed if that happens."

"Yeah…" she whispered in response, "I'll try not to…"

They stayed silent for a while, as they walked closer towards the corner shop. Rose could tell the Doctor was thinking and she almost wished she knew what was going through his head.

He turned to her, hesitantly, "You know, if you want, there is something we can try. There's this machine on the Tardis. It's good at reliving specific times in your mind. I wouldn't advise using it straight away but we could give it a go after you give your mind a few days of rest. It could bring back those memories."

"Really?" Excitement overtook her. She could really get those memories back. She wouldn't be in the dark about that whole week. She would- a nagging doubt formed in the back of her mind, "Is there any side effect?"

"No…" he hesitated for a second, and just by that pause she knew what was coming, "Well, there's around a 10 chance of minor memory loss but it wouldn't be outside a few hours of the incidence but other than that it's pretty harmless."

That didn't seem so bad. She had expected him to say that it might cause her head to explode or that she would forget who she was but minor memory loss. That wasn't so bad.

"Yeah, we could do that," He smiled at her, just as Rose heard the familiar sound of her mobile ringing, "Hello?"

"Rose," Mickey's voice rang through, slightly reverted, "Your mum says that she needs some eggs too. And…" She heard him turn away from the phone and mumble something to who she presumed to be her mother, "Uh, she wants grapes, peanut butter, marmalade, flour, cucumbers and..." Rose listened, an amused grin on her face as she watched the Doctor wait rather impatiently for her to finish her call, "Uh, pickles."

"Pickles? Ewww…What are you making?"

"I have no idea…but I don't think the pickles are involved in this. Your mum says they've gone missing."

Rose raised an eyebrow, incredulously. Who would eat pickles? Her gaze shifted over to the Doctor as she pursed her lips, trying not to laugh at the thought of the Doctor scoffing down pickles, "Right, is that all you want me to pick up?"

"yeah…Alright then. Bye."

"Bye Mickey." She hung up the phone and bounded over to the Doctor, a grin fixed in place, "Doctor, have you been at the pickles again?" she asked, noticing his face, immediately crease in confusion. The look he was giving her didn't surprise her, not one bit in fact, but she couldn't help but wonder if he didn't eat the pickles then who did?

"Rose, you haven't been eating your mother's cooking again?" He retorted, an eyebrow raised in mild curiosity, a grin forming on his face, "Because you're talking a load of nonsense and the only time you do that is when your mother's cooking is involved. Not that I'd blame you for your mother's cooking. That stuff would drive anyone mad."

Rose bit her bottom lip, completely convinced that he had ate the pickles. He only tried to shift blame when he was guilty. She linked her hands through his still cold ones, as they weaved past an exiting customer to gain entry into the fine establishment know as the corner shop.

"No, I haven't been eating my mother's cooking. Someone's eating all the food in the house."

"Have they?" He shrugged, refusing to meet her eye. His gaze now fixated straight ahead, "Are you sure your mother didn't just eat the lot and forgot to buy more of it? You know how forgetful your mother is."

"My mother is not forgetful." She stated, slightly offended by the statement. He was the forgetful one. He once forgot she wasn't on the Tardis and he had taken off without her. Five and a half hours she had stood waiting for him to come back. Five and a half stinking hours, thinking he had left her behind, and a giant purple mouse had almost eaten her. Not a pleasant experience. Especially when it involved five and a half hours running around the same spot, until the Doctor accidentally landed on it. She shrugged off the memory and his response and said, "Now grab a basket."

He dutifully complied, picking up the basket with his free hand and waved it in front of her face like a child showing off a small trophy.

"Ok you go up there and try and find the sugar." He nodded at her, his eyes wandering down the isle. She raised a finger in warning, her tone laced with authority, "Don't open anything. Don't eat anything. And don't put anything in your pockets."

He wasn't listening. He had already loosened his grip from hers and was going up the isle to look at a jar of pickles. He had so eaten that jar of pickles.

"Rose Tyler," A voice from ahead of her said, "Is that you?"

Rose looked up, forgetting the one person who had constantly worked in this shop for years – Trisha Delaney. She hadn't done much in two years- hadn't even gotten a haircut by the looks of it. Was she still going out with Mickey? She hadn't bothered to ask him. Rose prayed silently, that they had broken up or would it be better if they didn't. She wasn't sure. Either way it would be awkward.

"Oh! Hi Trish."

"My god, you look great!" She smiled at her, Rose couldn't help but think how weird she was being around her. When she had lived here, they had barely spoken two words to each other – just the usual pleasantries; 'Hello', 'How are you?' and, Rose's favourite one, 'Goodbye'.

"Oh, thanks." She gave her a fleeting smile, and looked her up and down. Wasn't she wearing that outfit the last time she had visited the shop…although it looked a bit baggier now. Mickey was right. She had lost weight, "So do you…"

Trisha's lips formed a thin line, and Rose presumed she thought she was lying. She indeed was but she wasn't going to say it out loud. It was rude and Rose was sure the Doctor would end up being rude enough for the both of them once he got to the till. Rose looked towards the Doctor, and saw him holding a bag of sugar in his hand.

"Is that your new fella?"

Rose head swung round, caught surprised, "What?"

"The skinny one. Down there," Her head tilted towards the Doctor, "He's fit. I heard he was good looking-"

Rose felt a surge of anger coarse through her, "From who?"

"Oh, it's been going around…" Trish's voice trailed away, but Rose's anger did not do the same. She hated being the subject of the latest gossip. As if any of them knew anything about her life with the Doctor, "So is he?" Rose gave her a confused look, which prompted her to elaborate, "You new fellah?"

Rose looked over at the Doctor. As much as she wanted that to happen, she wasn't deluded. He would never see her in that way, "Oh, we just travel together."

"That's what Mickey said."

Rose couldn't ignore the hint of distaste she said it with, and Rose although annoyed, couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her, but this was the prime opportunity to find out if they were still together, "So you and Mickey…"

"Are so not a thing anymore. He's only got eyes for one person and it ain't me."

Rose looked down guilty. It wasn't her fault Mickey was still interested in her like that, but they were over now and she didn't reciprocate those feelings. She had no reason to feel guilty. Mickey was her friend. She couldn't control any feelings he had for her.

"I should really," she nodded towards the Doctor, "Head back to you know…shopping."

"Yeah…"

She turned and walked away, sparing one fleeting glance back at Trisha. She did feel sorry for her. She returned her gaze to the Doctor, who was sniffing a apple. She stood there, hands on hips, a bemused look on her waiting for him to turn around.

He didn't.

"Don't even think about taking a bite out of that!" she warned him and he tentatively put it back down, guilt evident on his face. She looked down at the basket he was holding and her eyes widened at the sight of it. She reached in and picked up a small box, "Doctor, why do you have birthday candles in here?"

His hand reached up, scratching the back of his neck. She watched him hesitate before he answered, "I, uh, wanted them for something."

She scoffed, "And what would that be? Your birthday party?" She paused with a frown before she looked up incredulously, "It's not your birthday, is it? I mean do you even have birthdays. I know your over 900 years old but when is your birthday? Oh my god, don't tell me it's today. Why didn't you tell me? I could've-"

He reached out, placing a hand over her mouth to stop her from rambling. She shivered to the touch. Normally it would be because of the mere feeling of his hand being anywhere near her skin and that almost always sent shivers down her spine but this time she got shivers for the wrong reasons. His icy touch frightened her. There had to be something wrong. Maybe he was ill.

"Rose…" He interrupted, smiling lightly, "It's not my birthday."

He removed his hand and Rose instantly felt the warmth of the room rush back to her lips. She stood, studying him for a second. He was paler; the cut on his cheek was barely visible, having healed quickly. His face was thinner, hollower and despite the fact she had actually seen him sleep, there were dark shadows under his eyes.

She would talk to him about it later. She couldn't do it now, in a shop, with Trisha Delaney hanging about. Once they were alone they would definitely talk about it.

She took the basket from his freezing hand, the hairs on the back of her neck instantly shot up with at the light contact.

She looked at the objects in the basket and instinctively returned the items they wouldn't need or would be able to pay for. She only had twenty quid on her and she was not intending to spend half of it on useless items such as a pack of playing cards, a bunch of pens, a radish (she had no idea what he was going to use that for. He hated radishes. Although he might have thought it was a beetroot. He always got those two confused for some reason. She left it back anyway), a toothbrush (he already had 12 of them on the Tardis), foot odour cream (Maybe he did need that. Although the last time she saw his feet, they looked and smelt fine - not that she was sniffing them of course but she would have smelt them if they were stinking - and that was only a few days ago) and a pair of socks. None of the items were needed so she left them back. All of them except the birthday candles, she didn't know why he needed them but she kept them, just in case of the small possibility it was his birthday. She never really knew with him.

Rose picked up the stuff her mother wanted before finally she picked up the bag of sugar, and held it in her hand triumphantly. It was the last item. She could finally leave. She put it in the basket, mentally counting up how much it cost. She had never been brilliant at math but mental arithmetic had always been easy for her. She smiled, realising she had a few pounds left to spend on herself.

Maybe the Doctor wanted something too.

She looked up, and nearly dropped the basket in shock. Standing beside the cereals, the Doctor stood, fixated by the box of Coco Pops in his hand. The only problem was a ghostly image of the Doctor stood right beside him. It was the same Doctor from her dream. She took a few steps back, until her back hit the wall and stared at the ghostly Doctor making its way over to her.

Why did he look so empty? So hollow? So alone?

Her eyes flickered between the two of them. Why could she only see him? Maybe she was going mad. She had finally lost it.

It took a few steps closer. It wasn't threatening her, it was only walking as if it was intending to greet her but she didn't know how to respond. She closed her eyes, willing it to be gone when she opened them.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and yelped opening her eyes. The ghostly Doctor was gone and was replaced by the somewhat concerned face of Trisha Delaney, "You alright, Rose? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Her eyes flickered over to the Doctor, still looking at cereals before she turned back to Trisha. It was strange her choice of words, because they seemed to fit so right in what had just happened. Except for the part where the Doctor wasn't dead, but it looked like a ghost…but that was impossible.

She finally managed to find her voice and weakly said, "I'm fine. I just need to pay for this stuff."

"Are you sure? You look a bit pale."

"Uh, I'm just not feeling well." She lied, her eyes darting back to where the apparition had just previously been.

"Ok, here I'll take your basket. You look like me on a Sunday morning and that' not a good thing." Rose smiled at her attempt at a joke. It was a good hearted attempt but she was not in the mood to return it.

Rose quickly paid for things and left. She needed to get away from that shop. She needed to be rid of the image of that ghostly Doctor. It couldn't be real. It just couldn't be. He was alive. He was fine. He was walking beside her, holding a few shopping bags, struggling to keep up with her.

He did look pale though. And he was cold. And he appeared to be ill, but he was still alive, but where had that transparent image come from?

Had she finally lost it? Had she finally gone mad?

To be continued…

**AN: Yes, I do know it by now. I'm no longer mean, but have now been promoted to evil. Yay for me! Is the Doctor dead? Why is he so could? Is he ill? Who is the ghostly apparition haunting Rose? Is Rose mad? Uh, will I get a review? Who knows…but can this story get anymore confusing? Yeah...probably, but I shall start to clear up some mysteries soon.**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: This is shorter than usual but to be fair, I am updating this earlier than I normally do and this is also kind of a filler chapter. The next chapter will soon follow as soon as I get round to writing it which should be within the next few days.**

**--**

When Rose had bundled in, she dropped the shopping bags on the table and sunk herself into the hard kitchen chair. Her mother was on the phone again, oblivious to anything other than gossiping with Bev.

The Doctor gave her a strange look before he mentioned something about repairs on the Tardis. Rose was too preoccupied by the haunting image of the ghostly Doctor to care.

She heard the front door slam and she was left alone in the kitchen with Mickey.

"Rose…"

Her dream…the apparition of the Doctor…reaching out, calling her name…what did they mean?

"Rose…"

Was she going crazy? Maybe that knock to the head had messed her up. Maybe there was something wrong with her head. She had lost a week of memories; maybe she had lost her sanity along with it, but she wasn't crazy. Her dreams had to mean something, but what did a ghostly Doctor mean?

"Rose…"

He wasn't dead. She could see that clearly. He had been acting more distant though. Closed off. Almost afraid to tell her what had happened. He was sleeping, which was strange enough, but he was troubled by his dreams. And what was up with him being so cold?

The last time he had felt that cold was when he was ill. It had been in his last form. He had been infected on a planet by a strange bug that was native to the planet they had landed on. He had been fine for a while - perfectly normal.

It had taken a while for the infection to take affect, but she could remember him slowly getting colder each day. Yet everytime she brought up the sudden drop in his body temperature he insisted he was fine. Then he had suddenly collapsed and he could no longer insist he was fine.

They had barely managed to get him to the med-bay. He had barely managed to produce a cure. And she had barely managed to stay sane as he ordered her to bring him a bottle of this, a bit of that. Half the time he had ended up throwing it away after mixing up the ingredients. His brain had been slowly losing the ability to make connections and it frustrated him and frightened her.

He had coughed up blood, fainted twice, vomited, gotten a fever and had accidentally cut his hand by the time he had finally managed to produce a cure. She didn't leave his side during the whole process and he had reverted back to his healthy moody self.

Yet if he was ill this time then-

"Rose." A voice interrupted her thoughts. Her head moved of its own accord to face the owner of the voice – Mickey.

"What?"

"Are you alright? I've been calling your name like twenty times since you got in and you haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

She sighed, tears welling up in her eyes, "Oh Mickey!"

He was at her side in an instant wrapping his arms around her, "What is it? Has he done something?"

"Mickey, I think there's something wrong…" she replied, drawing back from his embrace, refusing to let the tears fall. She didn't want her mum to see her crying. She'd probably kill the Doctor, thinking he had done something to her if she came in and saw her crying, "I think he's ill."

"What do you mean ill? What's wrong with him?" asked Jackie, who had just came into the room, "Sweetheart, what's wrong? You look on the verge of tears. Has he done something?"

Rose took one look between her mother and Mickey. Concern apparent on both their faces. They were staring at her and she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They wrapped their arms around her as she cried, telling them everything.

When she had finished, she watched her mum's face grow serious, "I'm gonna kill that bloody alien."

--

When Rose had managed to get her mother calmed down enough to not march straight out and kill the Doctor, she almost wished she hadn't told the both of them. They had long forgotten about any plans to cook and were now focused entirely on her.

Her mother was sitting on a chair beside her at the kitchen table. Rose watched her fingers tap against the tabletop harshly, a small action that benefited towards not killing the Doctor. She knew her mum was only trying to protect her, help her, keep her safe, but she was no longer a child and that fact seemed to be ignored.

Mickey was probably worse. He was a mixture of wanting to kill the Doctor, help her help the Doctor and herself and also was trying to get her to leave him at the same time. All it did was make her head dizzy and this was one of the reasons she didn't come home as often as she would.

Either way they were her family and at this moment in time, she needed their help. She really and truly did because despite what the Doctor might say, she knew there was something wrong and even if there wasn't, she couldn't take that chance.

All the signs pointed to the Doctor being ill. Either that or she was crazy, but she really really hoped it wasn't the latter of the two options.

If he was ill then he would brush it off if she tried to confront him about it. That was why she needed her mum and Mickey to help her. If she could get the scanning equipment to check him over then at least she would be able to find out if he was ill, but he would never do that if she was on her own.

He was a Time Lord. He would know if he got ill. He was far too superior a species to become ill so susceptibly. Rose knew the excuses her would give and she also knew better than them. He had gotten ill before and she wouldn't risk him becoming ill again.

She would have to get him in the Tardis and into the medi-bay or she could take the scanning device up here and with Mickey and her mum's help the second option was probably the easier of the two.

So she told them her plan, noticing her mother seemed slightly happier with the one thing Rose dreaded having to do.

She was going to drug the Doctor.

To be continued...

**AN: Don't you love it when you get a character's family to help in drugging an alien? I'm not sure where the idea came from but I'm sure It'll be fun writing it. Review if you want to... (Come on, you know you do. You're all just itching to press the little button down there and put a smile on my face) Lol...but seriously, review if you want to.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Sorry for not having this up sooner. I was going through writer's block...mainly on this story for some reason. Well, I'm back with a new chapter, a new cliff-hanger and the return of my laptop. Woohoo! Now on with the story...**

**--**

Rose could not help but feel guilty for what she was about to do, but it was for his own good. It wasn't as if she was planning to kill him or anything, but it didn't stop her feeling any less guilty for being minutes away from drugging him.

She held the pill in her hand, small and white. It looked so harmless, but she knew that this pill was extremely powerful. The Doctor had told her himself after she had almost taken one thinking it was aspirin. She even remembered his exact words.

_"Rose this pill would take down a Trepatikiatus." _

_She had given him a look of pure confusion at that point and said, "What is that? A dinosaur or elephant or something?"_

_She remembered him grinning at that point, "Rose Tyler you are brilliant. Only you would be able to actually guess basically what a Trepatikiatus is. It's actually a bit of both. Part elephant, part dinosaur. It's great at parties. Well, actually it is until it gets into the liquor cabinet. Then it is one hell of a nasty drunk. One of them tried to kiss me, not that I could blame them. I mean come on, look at me. I'm-"_

_"Doctor!"_

_"Oh right, yes, where was I?" He took a moment to remember, "Oh yes this pill is not to be taken. I mean never mind a Trepatikiatus, it would knock me out for sixpence...I never got that saying. I mean 'knock me out for sixpence? That pill would knock me out stone cold, but you won't see any sixpence coming out of me will you? And another thing..."_

Rose held the pill lightly in her hand. Should she be doing this? Maybe it would be better to ask him just to let her check him out on the scanner. Rose sighed, knowing better before she placed the pill on the table, willing herself to crush it up. It was to help him. Why was she feeling so guilty?

"Rose, are you done with that pill yet?" asked Jackie, entering the kitchen.

"No, not yet."

"Oh give it here," She said, noticing Rose's hesitant attitude, "You go get that alien and bring him up here."

Rose sighed once more before she noticed her mother's eager face, "Mum!"

"What?"

"Don't look so happy about this."

"Oh Rose," began Jackie, rubbing her daughters shoulder, "Of course I'm not happy about this," Rose bit back a comment, trying to ignore the slight glee her mother had suddenly personified, "You said yourself, this is to help the Doctor. I mean how else are we going to check if he's ill. We might as well not be so glum in doing so otherwise he might suspect something. So you go and bring him up here so he can eat the dinner and you can scan him over."

Rose rolled her eyes scoffing, "What's for dinner anyway?"

"Chicken."

Rose shrugged thinking nothing of it and got up to leave before she suddenly stopped, "Hold on a minute, I didn't even get chicken in the store."

"Oh yeah, I just wanted him out of the house. You know what the Doctor's like when he's bored. He would've tried to fix the washing machine again and we all know what happened last time."

Rose had not forgotten what had happened the last time he had tried to fix something in this house; she also didn't want to remember. It was better for all concerned if the incident with the washing machine was never ever discussed again.

She stepped outside to see that the sky was darkening lightly. The sound of children's laughter ringing in the distance and Rose could not ignore the ominous feeling that suddenly washed over her. She shivered involuntarily, as the cold air whipped at her hair. She leaned over the railing, seeing the familiar blue before she slowly took off, heading down the stairs slower than usual.

By the time she reached the Tardis, she instantly regretted not bringing her coat. She was freezing.

She opened the door to the Tardis, the key easily turning in the lock this time and headed inside. Once again, the Doctor was not in the console room. It was strange, He came down for repairs, but he wasn't in the only place she had ever seen him do repairs in.

Maybe he was in the boiler room. Where was the boiler room? Why had she never known about a boiler room?

Hell, she hadn't even known about the swimming pool until two weeks ago. She had sleepily walked into a room, thinking it was the door to the kitchen and she had almost walked into the pool because she was too busy rubbing her tired eyes. Had it not been for the slightly wet ground, she probably would've fallen in.

Almost as if sensing her, the Doctor walked into the console room. It was strange. The exact thing had happened earlier when she went in here to get the pill. He couldn't actually sense her, could he?

"Hello Rose." he said, wiping his brow.

Rose looked him over, taking in his dishevelled appearance. His shirt was unbuttoned mostly and she could see his dirt stained white t-shirt underneath. His hair was messy, more so than usual and his face had the slight coverings of oil on it. He looked as if he had actually been doing repairs for once. Either that or building something.

"What have you been doing?"

"Uh, boiler room." He looked away, focusing on re-buttoning his shirt, "You know, fixing stuff."

"Right..." She watched him for a moment, not ignoring his vague reply. She wouldn't mention anything about it. He probably wouldn't tell her anyway, but she wouldn't forget, "So dinner's ready."

"Really?" He asked, looking up, "Is it time already?"

She nodded, avoiding eye contact. Hopefully she didn't look as guilty as she felt. She closed her eyes for a second, reminding herself that it was for his own good.

"You alright?" She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, instantly wishing her face was a mask of innocence. She couldn't help but notice his strange expression. He was looking at her out of curiosity more than concern. That was the only way she could describe it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Headache."

"Right..." He nodded, "So what's your mother cooking for dinner? Dragon eggs? Is she eating her prey?"

"Would you stop referring to my mother as a dragon?" She stood hands on hips, expecting him to suddenly make a joke at her appearance, but he doesn't. He just stands facing her, as if he's just been shouted at unjustifiably, and she suddenly wants to simply cower away, but she doesn't. Instead she tries to save the situation, "Now, dinner for both of us. You must be starving after being cooped up in here all day."

His head bobs up and down slowly as if the thought that he hasn't eaten is slowly sinking in, "Yeah...I think I am."

When she grabs his hand, it's warmer than it was. That's a good sign. Maybe he's not ill. Maybe she doesn't have to drug him and scan him over because everything's fine. There's probably nothing wrong with him. Or maybe the only reason it's warm is because he's spent all day in a boiler room?

Rose can't risk it though. She has to focus on the possibility that he is ill, because if she doesn't then she knows she'll focus instead on the dreams she has been having and the image of a ghostly Doctor trying to plague her mind.

They walk up to the flat in silence, an oddity for them. Rose is too guilty to strike up a conversation, just in case he might suspect and he's too wrapped up in his thoughts anyway.

When they head into the flat, everything is normal. Her mother is the same as ever, still sporting the slight glimmer of glee on her face and Mickey is too busy watching the football to care that the Doctor has entered. She knows he'll pay attention when the Doctor's busy eating the narcotised food. She'd be surprised if any of them could take their eyes of him. She's the only one who seems to be conscience-smitten by what they are about to do.

"Rose, sweetheart, can you help me in the kitchen a minute?"

Dutifully she follows her mother's voice, not bothering to reply. When she slips her hand out of the Doctor's she notices that he has barely registered the fact, instead heads over to the table to sit and stare out the window silently.

"What is it?"

"Keep your voice down!" Jackie harshly whispered back, "I put it in his drink. It would look weird if I put it on the food. I mean you don't expect white specks on a chicken. I thought even he'd notice that."

"Yeah, he probably would."

Rose tried to hide the smirk that was forming on her face. Truth be told, the Doctor would always stare at her mother's food as if it were poisoned. She once caught him digging the fork in and bringing it up to his face, just to check if it was off colour. He had only stopped once she had clapped him round the back of the head.

"Now you make sure he drinks all of it and he'll be out like a light bulb. The cheeky sod deserves to be knocked out the times he's criticised my dinners."

Rose studied her mother, watched the glimmer in her eyes and the corners of her mouth twitch into a smile and suddenly found herself wondering how this could possibly be bringing her such joy, "Mum, you're smiling again."

"Why shouldn't I? I'm happy Rose."

Rose raised her eyebrows and plainly stated, "Mum, you're smiling like you're about to devour a small child."

"Doesn't she always look like that?" asked the Doctor, wandering in.

Rose eyes widened in fear. He hadn't just...no, he couldn't have. Oh god, did he hear that? She suddenly found herself overcome with guilt so intense that she wasn't aware of the apology that had almost erupted from her lips. Fortunately for her, the Doctor had resumed talking, not noticing her change in body language.

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" He bit his lip, his eyes trailing precariously over to the older blonde who was glaring at him. He swallowed before averting his gaze to the food and Rose could see him looking at it with...curiosity? That wasn't how he usually reacted to her mother's cooking. It was more of a glare with fear, but this was...well, this was entirely new. At least to Rose.

Jackie walked over to him and grabbed him by the shoulder, "You can go and sit out there. I'm not having you ruining my kitchen." She paused, before raising her voice to add, "Again!"

"What did I do?" he protested.

"Do I need to remind you of the incident with the chicken pie?" Rose shuddered as the memory came back to her at the very mention of the words. She never did ask how a sonic screwdriver could do that to a pie and, truthfully a part of her really didn't want to know either, "You should just go and sit down and stay out of my kitchen."

"Uh, yeah, right...I'll go do that," He nodded towards the window, "I'll just sit over there, then."

He gave a sniff before walking away to once again sit quietly by the window.

Rose couldn't help but see the look of shock on her mother's face. She slowly turned towards her daughter and quietly whispered in her ear, quietly enough so the doctor wouldn't hear, "Oh god, you were being serious. He really is ill, ain't he?"

Rose nodded, slightly bemused by the fact that was what actually made her mother concerned - the fact he decided to do as he was told for once. If it were any other situation then she might have laughed, but she was once again plagued by thoughts of an ill Doctor.

"Right, let's get this over and done with." she whispered back before heading into the kitchen to start bringing out the food. She stared down at the four identical plates of food, each accompanied with a glass of juice, before turning towards her mother, "So which one's the Doctor's?"

Jackie came up beside her, "Well..."

--

Three pairs of eyes flickered over to the Doctor as they sat down at the dinner table. None of them really felt like eating, more interested in the Doctor as he quietly pushed food around on his plate.

"So..." began the Doctor, breaking the silence, "This is chicken?"

Jackie's eyes narrowed, "Of course it's chicken. What else does it look like?"

"Well..." began the Doctor, but instantly closed his mouth at the look Rose was giving him, "I was just asking. Um, did it take long to make?"

"No." was Jackie's reply, "Why don't you eat some? It tastes good, doesn't it Mickey?"

Mickey's eyes trailed away from the Doctor who was still carefully studying the chicken as if he had never seen it before, "Uh, yeah. It tastes great. Not as good as your Sunday roast though. You make a brilliant Sunday roast." Mickey turned his gaze to his chicken and began to cut it up, taking a bite, "This is good. You should try some Doctor. And maybe you could drink it down with some - Ow!"

The Doctor looked up at the yelp of pain, not noticing the glare Mickey was giving to Rose as he rubbed his aching leg. Nor did he notice the glare Rose was giving in return. He did however notice something else.

"What's that?"

Rose breath hitched in her throat as she managed to ask, "What's what?"

He pointed his fork towards the middle of the table and Rose for a second thought he was indicating his poisoned drink, but she soon realised he was indicating the bowl of mashed potatoes that was stuck between the four of them. Rose raised an eyebrow, "Uh, that's a bowl of mashed potatoes."

"Oh right. Yes, of course it is."

"Do you want some?" asked Jackie.

"Oh sure."

Rose watched as Jackie piled some on his plate before letting her gaze rest on the Doctor. Was she imagining it or was he acting strange? Well, stranger than usual. It was like he had never seen food before the way he was looking at his plate.

He brought the fork of potatoes and chicken up to his face before he tentatively put the food in his mouth. He smiled, mumbling through a mouth full of food, "Oh that's good."

He dug into his food as he hadn't ate for a week and the trio stared at him in shock as he finished off his plate of food within seconds. The strange thing was he hadn't touched a drop of his drink.

"Do you want seconds?" asked Jackie, finally finding her voice. She had never seen him eat her food like that before.

The Doctor nodded eagerly in response, mumbling something no one could quite make out through the sheer mass of food in his mouth.

"Doctor, you might want to wash that down with something to drink." Rose suggested carefully, trying not to look conspicuous in her efforts to get him to drink the drugged liquid.

Jackie, who had been on her way to the kitchen, stopped at the doorway. She looked at the Doctor, waiting to see if he would drink it.

The other two shared a glance as the Doctor brought the glass to his mouth, swallowed down a lump of food and took a light sip, but within seconds the glass was drained.

He placed the glass back down and looked at the three figures who were staring at him, expecting something - anything - to happen. His brow furrowed, "What?"

Suddenly his face contorted into a look Rose had never seem him give. He coughed as if trying to clear his throat before he stared down at the glass and back up to them, his eyes widening in realisation.

He shot up from his seat towards the bathroom and shut the door behind him before anyone could realise what he was doing.

Rose ran up to the door, twisted the handle, only to find it locked. She began to bang on the door, "Doctor! Open the door! Doctor!" she called out, fear gripping at her.

What if he collapsed while he was in there? What if it was there was different side affects to the pill? What if it was the wrong pill?

"Doctor, please open the door!" she screamed at the door, as questions plagued her mind bringing fear at the consequences of what she might be causing hit her.

Suddenly she heard something, through the silence on the other end. It was quiet and she promptly stilled, straining her ears to hear it.

"Rose..." It was an urgent plea - barely audible - but she had heard it.

She gasped, alarmed by the weakness in the Doctor's voice. Something was wrong. Definitely wrong.

She turned to Mickey, "Kick it down! We need to get in there! Now!"

Rose stood back as Mickey went to the door and hard rammed against it. It didn't budge so he tried again. On the fourth painful ram, he smashed through it.

Jackie took one look before her before she let out a high pitched scream.

To be continued...

**AN: Review if you enjoyed...Woah, thanks for the comments on this chapter. I didn't realise how many mistakes I actually had in this chapter. I hopefully have fixed them all. If I haven't then I apologize. My computer hasn't had its spelling and grammar checker working but now that my laptop is back, I shouldn't have as many mistakes in future chapters.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Ah, you've all been waiting in anticipation to find out what happens next and here I am with the next chapter to answer that question. Now enjoy...**

**--**

"Oh my god…" breathed out Rose. Tears stung in her eyes as she rushed forward, "Doctor!"

On the floor clutching his nose, the Doctor stared terrified up at her as he began to shake and spasm. He began to collapse forward, but Rose rushed forward in time, wrapping her arms around him.

"Is he having a seizure or something?" asked Mickey, contemplating picking up the phone and dialling for an ambulance, "Should we call for an ambulance?"

"No!" shouted Rose, anger lacing her voice, "We can't. He's not human."

"I know that!" Mickey shouted back.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered through sobs, clutching the Doctor.

Mickey for a moment thought the comment was directed at him, but realised that the blonde who had once loved him - or at least he thought – had loved him like he did her was talking to the figure shaking under her arms.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Doctor."

The Doctor stopped shaking and went limp in her arms. Rose gasped, her eyes wide and fearful as her shaky hands tightened their grip around him, hugging him to her chest.

The room went silent.

Mickey gulped, "Is he...?"

Rose placed a shaky hand on his pulse and shook her head, tears of relief and happiness welling in her eyes, "No, he's alive. Oh god, I didn't think this would happen. He never said it would do this to him. How could I have been so stupid?"

"Your not stupid…" said a voice.

The trio looked down towards the Doctor who was staring up at them, his eyes wide awake and alert.

Suddenly he gasped, sitting up straight to survey his surroundings. His eyes darted around the room, "Where am I?"

"You're in…" began Jackie, who was still staring in shock at the man before her.

"Yes, of course I am. Ah!" He clutched at his rib, leaning back down as pain shot through him, "Ah, that hurts."

"Doctor what is it? What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes as pain shot through him before he suddenly fell backwards as he remembered. His eyes rolled backwards, the white showing clearly as his eyelids drifted shut. Rose grabbed his falling head before it smashed against the floor of their bathroom.

His eyes shot open once more as he grabbed Rose, clutching at her desperately. She jumped in surprise, letting out a yelp, "Rose, we don't have much time."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what the pill would do."

He scrunched up his face, "Never mind the pill. I need to warn you…"

"Warn me of what?"

"Don't…don't…" He narrowed his eyes in the sudden realisation that his eyelid felt like lead weighing down on him, "Oh I feel tired."

He let out a yawn as he slowly closed his heavy tired eyes, forcing Rose to slap at his cheeks, "Doctor, keep awake. What do you need to warn me about?"

"Don't forget about me…"

With that he slipped back into the confines of unconsciousness, leaving Rose completely and utterly confused.

--

She picked up the damp cloth, feeling a sense of déjà vu overtake her. This had been the exact same image to Christmas save for two things. One; he wasn't in Howard's pyjamas and two; this was all her fault.

She sighed, actually the last time was probably her fault too…she just couldn't remember why.

"How is he?" she heard her mother ask from the doorway as she placed the cloth against his forehead, hoping it would reduce his fever.

"Not good." She leaned back, tears glistening in her hazel eyes, "This is all my fault."

Jackie took one look at her daughter before rushing over and sweeping her up in an embrace, hoping that she wouldn't blame herself, "Oh sweetheart! This isn't your-"

"But it is!" She interrupted, pulling back from the comfort of her mother's arms. She didn't deserve to be comforted. Not after what she did. She continued, her voice rising in volume, "This is my fault. I shouldn't have gave him that stupid pill and everything would've been okay."

Her outburst created a silence in the room and save for the laboured breathing from the Doctor and the occasional sob from Rose, a silent rift was created between mother and daughter, neither one sure of how to break the tension.

Jackie let out a small sigh before she cupped her hand around Rose's cheek, "You don't know that." She turned her gaze towards the alien, which Rose followed suit, "By hell I have hated that alien sometimes, but he wasn't acting like himself. Well, not as bonkers as he usually is," Rose let out a small chuckle, "And you had right to be concerned. I mean if I can see him acting like a normal human being then it just proves it. There was something wrong and you don't know if this was the pill that caused it or whatever it is that's wrong with him."

"But what if this is my fault. What if he dies?" she asked, her voice as small and unsure, as a small child's would be.

Jackie placed her hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look into her eyes, "Don't you dare let me hear you talking like that! He will not die, d'you hear me? He will be fine. We'll figure out what's wrong with him and you two will be off on your travels to God knows where scaring me half to death." She gave her daughter a small smile, hoping she was being reassured by her words, "I promise you, he will be fine."

Rose nodded, letting her gaze linger over to the Doctor. She reached over and tentatively let her hand fall upon the top of his own before she quickly withdrew it. Her eyes narrowed, her gaze flickering between the hand and his forehead. With the same hand she had placed on top of his own, she removed the damp cloth on his head and placed her hand gently on his forehead.

"It doesn't make sense…"

Jackie's face scrunched in confusion at the muttering of her daughter's words, "What doesn't?"

"Look, feel his hand," Jackie eyes focused on his hand and she let her mind wonder if he had any alien diseases. Who knows where they could have been and what kind of disease could have been there? Rose rolled her eyes at her mother's hesitance, "Just feel it!"

Scrunching up her nose slightly, Jackie placed her hand over the Doctor's before withdrawing it as soon as her palm had grazed it, "Bloody hell! That's freezing!"

"I know, but now feel his forehead."

Jackie sighed as her hand fell against his forehead, the heat radiating off of it unlike any normal fever. Unable to keep her hand held against the heat, she removed it quickly being replaced by Rose's holding a cold cloth to his forehead.

"But that doesn't make sense…" She moved to feel his hand again, still as cold as ice, "How can he be so cold and so warm at the same time?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is we need to find out. Where's Mickey?"

"He went off to the Tardis to look for that scanner thing." Rose jumped off the bed and rushed to the door of the flat and shouted back, "Keep an eye on him!"

The door had slammed shut before the last word could be muttered.

--

"Mickey!" she shouted as soon as her foot fell on grated ground, "Mickey where are you?"

In the distance she heard him shout, "Over here!"

She rolled her eyes, looking around the room but finding no one but herself, "I don't know where 'Over here!' is."

"In the corridor!" he shouted back, his voice echoing ever so slightly against the walls.

She jogged into the corridor and found Mickey staring at the ground. She narrowed her eyes instantly, "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" He looked up at her and she couldn't help but smile. Good old reliable Mickey who couldn't even get a scanning device without getting distracted by the ground, "I'm looking at this." He pointed at the wall and slowly moved his finger towards the floor. She followed the finger and found nothing of particular interest and she shrugged at him. He let out a soft sigh and simply said, "It's blood."

"What?" She walked beside him and up close it was more noticeable. There were a few drops of blood on it, scattered but somehow close together. Like someone had hit their head against it hard. A hand snaked its way up to rub her around her stitches. She pressed down lightly and gasped as a memory suddenly hit her.

_She fell backwards letting her head slam harshly against the wall as darkness surrounded her, his voice calling her name in the distance or was it closer? She couldn't anymore, other than the simple fact it was receding into that distance and she was suddenly surrounded in a sea of darkness._

Mickey noticed her sudden change in body language. Despite what she thought he was very good at reading people, but they didn't need to know that, "Rose, what is it? What's wrong?"

"That's…" She stared transfixed at the blood on the wall, letting it draw her in even more, "That's my blood."

"It is?" She nodded dumbly, unable to find words suddenly, "Then who does the blood on the ground belong to? The Doctor?"

"It must be, but he lied to me." Tears stung in her eyes. This was a betrayal of sorts. He had lied to her and…

She sighed. Who was she one to judge? He was lying up in bed fighting for his life because of her stupid betrayal. Stupid pill…

"He lied to me, Mickey."

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and sincerely whispered, "I'm sorry, Rose."

She nodded, not wanting to look him in the eye. She hated and loved him for being so caring at the same time but whenever he was like this she wished she had treated him better. Maybe if she had then she wouldn't have run off the Doctor, not sparing him a second glance.

"He must have got that cut on his stomach her then."

"But who was he fighting with because this here is a lot of blood, Rose and whoever he was fighting with, well, I don't think he could've survived that much blood loss." Rose let her gaze trail over to the other larger crimson stain on the ground. It was just visible under the grated floor, "I don't think anybody could."

And she understood in perfect clarity why he had lied to her. He had wanted to protect her from what he did. He must have killed whoever had attacked them and felt so shamed that he had lied to protect her from the knowledge when he had found out she couldn't remember what had happened.

She turned to Mickey suddenly, "Where's the scanner?"

He turned to her, surprise evident on his face, "What?" he asked incredulously.

"Where's the scanner? We need to help the Doctor."

"Rose, we just found out that he might've killed someone-"

"Or something." She reminded him. They did after all travel through time and space. It wasn't exclusive to just human beings being killed. No matter how much it pained her to think the Doctor was a murderer, she couldn't ignore the fact he need help because of her fiasco with that stupid pill. He was on the verge of death and they didn't have a second to waste. Once he was up and about then she would ask him about the bloodstains but until then, she needed to concentrate on getting him better, "Mickey, we don't have time for this. We need to help the Doctor. We'll deal with this later."

Mickey sighed but reluctantly agreed.

--

Rose rummaged through the cabinet of the medi-bay in search of the scanner. She had saw him with it in here somewhere but where exactly had he left it? She sighed, leaning back. Wherever that scanner was, it definitely wasn't in here. She slammed the door of the cabinet shut. This was too hard.

They had been searching for twenty minutes for it and they had gotten nowhere. Every two seconds Mickey would…she groaned. Speak of the devil.

"Rose, is this it?"

She turned and watched him hold up a small brown object with two purple dials on it. She groaned again, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, "That's an etch-a-sketch."

"Really?" He looked down at the device, and his face broke out in a delighted grin as he gained interest in the new object in his hand. Without glancing up at her, he mumbled, "Why does the Doctor have an etch-a-sketch in here? Isn't this supposed to be filled only with weird alien medicines and stethoscopes and medical stuff?"

"Yeah, but he gets bored."

Mickey scoffed, "He gets bored and plays this?"

"Yeah, hypocrite," joked Rose, prodding him in the chest.

Mickey glanced up before he frowned, reluctantly putting the etch-a-sketch down on a nearby desk. His eyes caught something on behind a white jar of something he didn't even want to think about. He pushed the jar aside and pulled out the item from behind, holding it up in the process, "Is this it?"

Rose mouth hung open in shock, letting out a small gasp, "It's been right there the whole time?" Mickey nodded, proud of himself for having found it for her, "Ok let's go help the Doctor."

She took the device out of Mickey's hands and walked out the door, not noticing or caring that Mickey surreptitiously picked up the etch-a-sketch from its place on the desk. He was going to have fun with this.

Rose looked over her shoulder and saw Mickey engrossed with his new toy. She rolled her eyes at him, which went unnoticed. How had she ever gone out with someone so immature she would never know?

By the time they had reached the flat, Mickey had shown her how brilliant he was at it, claiming he was probably much better than the Doctor when he created an image of a living room. She had just forced a smile and held back the simple fact that the Doctor had once created a perfect image of the Mona Lisa and for fun. He had then put her face on it. She had laughed at him at the time, but what if he wouldn't laugh with her again?

She let out a soft sigh, suddenly filled with a mixture of hope and apprehension when she reached the familiar door of her mother's flat.

Before she could even attempt to open the door, it burst open and she was faced with the distraught face of her mother. Her eyes widened in fear at the sight of her tears falling down her mother's eyes, "What is it?"

"There's something wrong with him!"

To be continued...

**AN: Oh god, I am so evil aren't I? Well, I have to fuel my obssession with cliffhangers somehow...I could stop but knowing me it'd probably end with me killing someone off and seeing as the Doctor is the gravely ill one at the moment, I don't think that'd be a good idea so you'll all just have to stick through with the cliffhangers...lol. Anyway, review if you enjoyed...or want to kill me for using another cliffhanger...**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: If any of you have been reading my profile lately you'll know I had my USB pen stolen recently hence putting an abrupt stop to new updates to all of my stories. Now you all must be wondering why have I got a new update for you then, well, I just decided to write to write the next chapter to this story in the library which wasn't very fun. Anyway, I should have probably updated one of my other stories since technically they are being neglected, but I can't help it. I had to choose one story to update then it has to be this one. I mean I love writing this one. Not that I don't love writing the other ones too but this one is like my giant confusing mysterious cliffhanger filled baby so you know. Plus I really wanted to get started on this chapter. I just came up with a really good idea for this one and I couldn't wait to get started on it. So, I probably won't have any updates still until I get a new USB pen. So enjoy!**

--

"What do you mean there's something wrong?" Rose asked, her voice rising to another albeit slightly higher pitch as worry shook through her. She pushed past her mother and instantly headed towards the bedroom she had last seen the Doctor, "What happened?"

"Rose…" Her mother voice rose in warning as she placed her palm against the handle of the door, "Don't."

She ignored her mother's protest and opened it, tears clinging to her eyelashes as she took in the sight before her. Her hand rose to her mouth blocking from view the sight of her biting back her lip gently, "Oh Doctor, what did you do?"

The room was a complete mess. In fact the only thing left untouched was the unmade bed. The large closet had been overturned; the clothes that were once held within it were strewn across the floor. The curtains had been pulled off and torn beyond obvious recognition and had it not been for the god-awful pattern that her mother had chosen, Rose was sure she wouldn't have recognised them as curtains in the first place. Pictures and ornaments that had once been held on a shelf were knocked down, cracked and broken like the man in front of her.

"I couldn't stop him…" She heard her mother whisper from behind but she paid no heed and instead walked into the room, gathering the Doctor in her arms as he sat staring blatantly ahead; hands wrapped around his knees, clinging to them in confused desperation. She pulled him into a firm embrace and began to gently rock him backwards and forwards.

"Shhh, it's okay." She whispered into his hair, trying to reassure him, "Everything's going to be okay."

"What happened?" asked Mickey as he surveyed the room.

"He just woke up screaming in pain and I couldn't…" Jackie voice wavered as a new wave of tears cascaded down her face, "I couldn't stop him…He just…" She sighed and Mickey placed a comforting hand on her shoulder like a son would do to a mother and gave it a light squeeze. Jackie nodded in response and bit back the tears, "He just lost it, tore apart the room."

Rose stroked at his hair as the Doctor's hands slowly moved, resting against her arms as he gripped at them needing the reassurance of her being there. A single tear fell from her eye, leaving a trail of black mascara down her face as guilt ate away at her. She shouldn't have left him alone. She should have been there to help him, to calm him down…He needed her and she had left him. Whatever was wrong with him, she needed to fix him because she knew in that moment that if she lost him then she wouldn't know what to do with her life anymore because he wouldn't be there.

Rose slowly placed a kiss on the Doctor's forehead, her guilt evaporating as it was slowly replaced by the need to help him.

"He kept mumbling something about his head." continued Jackie, carefully eyeing her daughter as she rocked the alien like a small child in need of comfort.

Rose looked up, the words gaining her attention, "What? What did he say?"

"I couldn't make him out properly. He said there was something wrong with his head, something was crushing it and he just started screaming something about pain. An unbearable pain…I'm sorry Rose. I couldn't make out what he was saying half the time. I was just trying to get him to calm down."

"It's okay mum."

She closed her eyes, leaning against the Doctor. This wasn't how things were meant to be. They were meant to be the Doctor and Rose; travelling the stars, finding planets and solar systems and galaxies to visit. They were meant to be running hand in hand, moving from place to place – never stopping, never stilling – just having the time of their lives. Together.

"Mickey, help me get him up on the bed." She mumbled, opening her eyes once more.

Mickey moved forwards, placing his hands on the Doctor's arm. He flinched away from the contact, burying his head into Rose arm instead. She stroked his head once more before quietly whispering words of comfort in his ear. She nodded to Mickey and he once again touched the Time Lord's arm who was now calm enough, willingly let him move him towards the bed.

"Rose, are you bleeding?" asked Jackie, moving towards her daughter.

Rose looked down in surprise at her mother's words and noticed blood smudged on her hoodie. She shook her head in negative to her mother before gently placing a hand against the Doctor's head. He winced in pain. When she pulled it back, she couldn't help but notice it matted with blood.

"Oh, he's bleeding." She moved his head gently as he continued to stare ahead blankly and surveyed the damage. She sighed, her head furrowing in sadness, "It's not that deep. It should be fine." She looked up towards her mother, "Did he grip at his head?"

Jackie took a moment to remember before she nodded, choosing to remain silent. Her gaze flickered towards the Doctor before she silently left the room.

"Mickey, can you keep an eye on him?"

Mickey nodded as the Doctor's eyes rolled in his head as he slipped into the land of slumber once more. Rose placed a gentle kiss on the alien's forehead before going to find her mother.

--

Rose slowly made her way to the kitchen and she saw her mother leaning against the counter, her hands griping to it needing support. Without bothering to say a word, Rose walked forward and wrapped her arms around her mother as they lung to each other; both of them desperately needing the comfort in another embrace.

One for recognising the possibility she could lose the most important man in her life and the other for knowing that possible loss could break her daughter's heart.

Tears poured down each of their faces, but they didn't care. No, in this moment, it was just them together – mother and daughter – hugging each other as if their lives depended on it.

When they finally managed to pull apart, Jackie cupped her daughter's face wiping away the tears that strayed there, "Oh Rose, I'm so sorry."

"What if I lose him mum?" She whimpered, leaning into her mother's palm, "I can't lose him. I love him mum and I can't lose him, but I don't know what to do anymore. What do I do?"

She pulled her daughter into a quick embrace one more and mumbled into her hair, two words that she had never expected her mother to say, "Fix him."

And with those words – those two simple words – Rose was given the strength she so desperately needed and in that instant, she knew what to do.

--

Mickey stared down at the alien he had once felt so jealous of. Rose had fallen in love with this man, she had left him for this alien who had changed his face and he suddenly found it hard to believe that he had once looked upon this same man with contempt and hated.

At this moment the strong, fearless alien he had once hated yet respected didn't exist. No, he was replaced with something else and as much as he wished the Doctor had been knocked down a peg or two at times, he had never wished this on him. This man had saved Earth as well as other strange unknown planets so many times. His searches online had proved that along with the minor experience he had been involved with, not forgetting Rose's tales that he pretended he was bored senseless of, but secretly enjoyed. Not that he would admit that of course, but this alien didn't deserve whatever was happening to him and Rose didn't deserve to see it happen to him either.

He just wished for once he could be the hero and fix things for her, for both of them because they belonged together out in the stars; no matter how much he wished Rose would choose him over the two hearted alien.

He sighed as he watched the Time Lord's face contort in pain as he mumbled out a string of strange syllables in his sleep. But what could he do to fix this? He was Mickey the Idiot. He was no one special.

A beeping noise distracted him from his musings. He turned towards the source of the noise and noticed the Doctor's jacket lying haphazardly on the ground. He took a step forward, tentatively reaching down towards the jacket before he grabbed it, bringing it up towards him. He reached his hand into the pocket and his eyes widened as the sensation of sticking his hand in a crowded closet struck him. He instinctively pulled his hand back out in surprise before gazing into the pocket.

It looked normal on the outside. He pulled the side of the jacket pocket out as far as possible to see inside. He was suddenly reminded of the image of being up high on a plane, looking down to see buildings looking like toy building blocks and the people like ants. Everything looked so much smaller, just like the contents of the jacket.

He reached inside once more as the beeping got louder thus breaking his reverie. The source of the beeping object vibrated as it beeped and his hand found it surprisingly easily amongst the clutter of it all. It felt large; too large to get out of the jacket pocket but once again he was surprised as it easily slipped out of the small opening.

He eyed the device, wondering firstly; what exactly was it? Why was it beeping? And what the hell was he meant to do with it?

A smirk filled his face as the device gleamed in front of him. This was way too alien. Cool as hell, but really alien. It was the kind of thing you expected to be in a UFO; like the ones in the movies, all flashing lights and flying saucers and special effects that could be over the top when you thought about it. Then again once you end up actually meeting a real alien, it can all seem over the top.

He contemplated going to tell Rose what he had found, showing off his brilliance in finding possibly helpful objects but decided against it as his curiosity got the better of him.

His eyes slowly moved from the device in his hands, all silver and blue and bright flashing lights, towards the still unconscious Doctor on the bed. His brow furrowed. Should he be contemplating doing this? For all he knew, it might be a dangerous object that wasn't meant to be touched. His eyes found their way to the beeping device and he suddenly found himself unable to think straight.

He had to do this. Whatever this thing was, he knew it was important in some way and he knew he had to do this. No longer caring about the possible consequences of the device he pressed down on the button and the world went white just as the Doctor's eyes shot open.

--

Rose quickly made her way into the bedroom, holding the scanner in her hand. She expected Mickey to be nearby, but instead found the room empty of anyone.

"Mum…" she shouted back into the kitchen, "Mum!"

Jackie quickly rushed at the sound of her daughter's calling, "What is it sweetheart?" She stopped abruptly as she took in the empty room, "Where's Mickey?" Her brow furrowed further noticing the empty bed, "Where's the Doctor?"

"I don't know." Rose turned towards her mother as fear gripped at her, "Did you hear the front door open?"

"No…"

The both shared a panicked look before Rose rushed past her mother towards the front door, finally noticing it ajar. She rushed out to the landing and leaned over it, taking in the surroundings below. Jackie joined her a second later.

"Where is he?" Rose muttered inwardly. She frantically searched for any sign of Mickey or the Doctor. The Tardis was still there but where were they? And why did Mickey take the Doctor anyway? Her eyes caught something on the stairs and widened in surprise.

Without a second glance she was off, running as fast as her legs could take her. Something was wrong. Something was really really wrong. She could taste it in the air, feel it crawling under her skin. It was second instinct to her now. Her life with the Doctor had given her that instinct so she ran, hearing her mother shouts from behind her as she took the stairs two at a time in the urgent need to get down as quickly as possible.

There wasn't time to explain to her mother, there wasn't time to stop. She needed to run and it surprised her slightly to hear her mother's footsteps pummelling down the stairs behind her, but there wasn't time to slow down for her so Rose pushed her legs faster than she had ever pushed them, knowing that later it would come back to haunt her.

When she managed to get to the bottom of the stairs, the sound of engines filled her ears. She knew those engines. She gasped and despite how her lungs ached for air or her muscles seared in pain, she kept running; scanner in one hand and pulling out the Tardis key with the other.

Rose rushed forward, noticing the blue box beginning its slow dematerialisation. She pushed the key into the lock and turned, bundling in and shutting the door behind her. She turned and gasped as she noticed the figure at the console. Her eyes widening as the roar of engines filled her ears.

"But…" Her chest heaved as she gulped fistfuls of air, unable to get her words out, "You…"

Her eyes moved around the room and she shook her head in confusion. This wasn't right…He wasn't meant to be…

Before she had time to process what was something gripped at her. She glanced down, noticing that it was two clips with wires attached to them. Her brow furrowed as she followed the source of the wire but before she could question what he was doing, she suddenly found her body convulsing as electricity sparked through her body. She shuddered and gasped as the volts shook her to her very core, until she could barely register as her body fell against the floor, her legs unable to hold her up any longer. Black spots danced in front of her eyes as her body ached for the release from the electrical torture that was coursing through her veins.

She gasped when it finally came to a stop. Her eyelids felt heavy as she managed to stare up at him. Why was he doing this?

No words came out of her mouth - no questions asked for no answers to be revealed - as she felt herself slipping away. She kept her gaze on him as the image in front of her eyes flickered black. Her eyes grew wide with surprise as resting nearby was the ghostly image of the Doctor, still as translucent as ever, but this time she did not feel fear looking at him. She knew that he wasn't a threat, not anymore. He was strangely enough a source of comfort in that very moment. Just by the mere look of on his pale unearthly face because she knew that look so well, had seen it a million times. It was his look – the Doctor's look – the one reserved for his concern of her and that was all she needed to know that it was indeed the Doctor in some form and that he wasn't out to hurt her too.

He kneeled down beside her and touched her arm. For a moment she thought she could feel the cold palm of his hand on her skin, but the sensation was gone before she could truly contemplate it. He leaned down, his face level with hers as she struggled to stay awake. She looked at through teary eyes as he looked into her eyes and slowly mouthed, 'I'm sorry…'

With that his image faded away once more as the dark pits of unconsciousness took her over.

Meanwhile, all that was left on the Powell Estate was one Jackie Tyler screaming to thin air as a small blue box disappeared completely, leaving the confused mother alone with only her fears and worries as company.

To be continued...

**AN: Yep, we're back on the Tardis and someoen's terroizing Rose. Mwuahahaha! I'm evil again. It's so good to be free. Does anyone know what's going on? And the Doctor still hasn't been scanned so the toss is still up on whether he's the real Doctor or not. Which one do you think? So...review if you enjoyed :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: New chapter, hurray...and all that. So it's a bit shorter than usual but not by that much. Well, anyway, on with the story...**

Rose awoke to a throbbing in her chest. She slowly opened her eyes, hoping beyond hopes that the last few hours were a dream. No, make that a nightmare. She just hoped it wasn't real. She hoped that the Doctor hadn't been ill or whatever it turned out to be now, that she hadn't just electrocuted her and that whatever the hell was going on was just a concoction of her imagination.

Unfortunately for her, it was real and as she slowly opened her eyes, she knew just how real it was. It wasn't everyday that she got locked up in the make shift prison room in the Tardis.

In reality, it didn't share any traits to other prisons she and the Doctor had been thrown in. Most prison cells were at least dirty, smelly, noisy or occupied in some cases or every single one of those traits put together in most cases. This room was whiter than white, cleaner than a brand new penny and she was alone.

So very very alone.

She stood up and rubbed the tender spot below her neck. It was hard to believe that she had just been tazered. And by someone she had trusted no less.

He had to have been possessed. He must have been. There was no other possible explanation to it. Well, it was either that or he had gone crazy and even that seemed extremely unbelievable.

How was she meant to help him though? It wasn't as if she could exorcise him...can that even work? She thought about it for a moment, before shaking the absurd notion from her head. This wasn't the devil anyway...did the devil even exist?

And what was with the ghostly Doctor? This was becoming a confusing mystery and as much as she would love to say she enjoyed mysteries, in this case...well, this was one that was too complicated, too confusing, too confounding that it just blew every other mystery away and that was mainly because she had absolutely no idea where exactly would be the best place to start.

She had a missing week of memories, a bad feeling about a room, an ill Doctor, her being locked in a room, a ghostly image of the man she travelled with through time and space who may or may not be connected to him being ill and then one of the people she trusted may or may not be possessed whilst the other...hell she didn't even know anymore.

She needed help. She needed to understand. She needed...a way out.

She moved towards the door and, despite knowing that it would be most likely locked, she tried the door. Unsurprisingly it was locked.

She looked around the room, searching for anything that might help her get out when it hit her. A memory of a conversation she had had so long ago.

_"Doctor?" She asked tentatively to the door._

_"What?" She stayed silent for a moment, "What is it? Rose, why haven't you opened the door yet?"_

_She took a deep breath and said, "Thehandlesjustfallenoff.Idon'tknwohowtogetyouout."_

_He was silent for a moment, and she couldn't help but wonder did that come out as rushed as she thought it did. She found out her answer when he said rather loudly, "What was that?"_

_She repeated, slowly this time, "The handle has just fallen off the door. It won't open. I can't get you out." She heard his muffled response and it all went silent. She leaned her ear against the door, listening for him to say something, "Doctor?" It remained silent, "Doctor, I'm sorry. Can you just say something?"_

_"Why are you listening to the door?" she heard a voice say from behind. She jumped in shock and turned. Her mouth dropped open at who she saw now standing right in front of her._

_"But..." she stuttered, staring in confusion, her head moving back and forth from the door to him, "But..." He placed his hands on her shoulders and stopped her head from its sudden bout of motion, "But how did you get out?"_

_"Oh, have I never told you about the secret exit I have in every room?"_

_She stared in surprise at him, "Secret exit?"_

_"Yeah, I installed them the last time the door handle fell off. And I didn't even have my sonic with me. I was stuck in there for hours. Bored out of my mind, I was. There was absolutely nothing in the room other than a piece of string and a spoon."_

_"Let me guess you dug yourself out?"_

_He stared at her incredulously, "How did you know?"_

_Her mouth hung open, "You're kidding me?"_

_"Nope, it took hours to dig through to the next rooms. I hadn't realised how thick the walls were between rooms. I was practically jumping for joy by the time I got out, only I didn't because I accidentally hit my ankle with the spoon and I think I sprained it."_

_"Wait a second, was that why you were walking funny a couple of months ago?"_

_He scratched behind his ear with a sheepish grin, "Yeah..."_

_"So a secret panel, how does that work?"_

_"I just feel around the walls and the panel opens and it leads you to the next room."_

_"Right..."_

Rose smiled at the memory. Secret panels. Only the Doctor could come out with something so...random. Actually only the Doctor could dig through a wall and decide what every room in the Tardis needs is a secret exit. She felt around the wall, hoping that he had actually put it in every single room.

After groping the walls for a few minutes she heard the surprisingly click as something feel into place. Before her eyes, a hole in the wall appeared and she was faced with a small corridor.

Rose stepped into it and jumped in surprise when she found the panel slid into place behind her. Taking a much need breath, she edged herself forward until she came in front of a small panel. She came across a handle and turned it slightly, pulling it back slowly as she made space to peer through into the next room.

Her eyes widened and without another thought she pulled back the door properly as her eyes clapped on to the Doctor, laying pale and still on the ground.

She rushed forward, and felt for life signs. His breathing was irregular, his fever was down yet he now felt completely cold which wasn't a good sign as far as she could tell especially when it meant he now only had one heartbeat instead of two - definitely not good.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the scanner, happy with the small fact that as she was being tazered, she had remembered to put the scanner in her pocket before she fell unconscious. It was at least something.

Rose stared over the device and placed her hands on the dials and twisted. The screen sprang to life and a series of numbers flashed on screen until she saw the familiar beam of light as it pulsed over it him. It flashed red before she saw a map of his brain appear before her.

"Oh my god," she breathed, "What the hell is that?"

She gulped, her eyes glazing from the screen in front of her to the actual head of the person she was scanning.

She touched his forehead and found it to be once again boiling. Ignoring the heat she turned his head to the side placing her hand over the impossible spot the scanner was indicating. Her hand covered it, blocking the missing piece and she removed it once again to find that it was definitely real.

How was that even possible?

Maybe it was part of his physiology? Maybe it was…no, she had scanned him many times before and not once had she seen that.

How could he have a black spot on his brain? It wasn't possible that there was nothing there. Sure it was small compared to the rest of his brain but it was a black spot nonetheless.

It had to be the cause…of his weird symptoms, his unconsciousness, and his slightly strange behaviour…

"Oh god…" she breathed out, "Mickey…"

Maybe the Doctor had been possessed and it had moved on to Mickey. Poor Mickey. What if this did this to him too? What if it made him ill as well?

Rose closed her eyes in annoyance, trying to clear her thoughts. She should have been able to realise. She had noticed the small weird things he had been doing. She had ignored them, and now she didn't know how this could possibly be affecting the Doctor or how this could be affecting Mickey.

He wasn't a time Lord. Who knew how quickly it would be able to deteriorate the brain. How was she possibly going to be able to fix the Doctor? She wasn't even sure of the damage it could have on him? Would he keep getting ill until he ended up regenerating?

She knew she didn't want him to regenerate. It couldn't be happening again. She had just gotten properly used to the new him. She didn't want it all to change and she knew that was selfish, she really _really_ knew but she just wanted _her_ Doctor – this Doctor – to be alive and healthy again.

Was that so wrong of her? Was it so bad of her to prefer the man on the outside even though she knew the man on the inside would be the same no matter if he changed?

She knew he wouldn't change fundamentally, but it was the small things that took time to get used to. She didn't want to have to go through it all again. She didn't want to have to reassure herself that this was still her Doctor every time he did something different. Every time he ate something he had once detested in his previous form, or talk about things he had laughed at the idea of visiting when his eyes were ice blue instead of brown…

And what would he look like if he regenerated again? Would he tall or short? Happy or sad? Quiet and reserved or bold and outlandish? Would he be younger or older? Would he have brown hair or blonde or black? Or maybe even ginger?

He'd probably be happy about that after having watched him for months stare at any and every red head they had met with jealousy and envy, boring holes in the fiery ginger locks once their back were turned.

Would his new head of hair be short and cropped like her old Doctor or thick like her new one? She really like his hair as it was now. In all honesty, it was really great hair. Some really great hair…

Would she lose everything she had fallen for, everything she had gotten to know and love, everything that she associated with her new Doctor or was it about to be pulled away from underneath her?

Was she even ready for it? She didn't want to have to go through the pangs of grief she had felt. Sure he was still the same man but she still lost everything he once was to have it replaced with something brand new. Rose could honesty say that she wasn't sure if she could handle that all once again.

Suddenly she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and scrambled up to her feet. She didn't want to leave the Doctor but she couldn't get caught. It wouldn't help either of them.

She desperately pushed at the wall, hoping to once again find the opening she had walked through.

"Come on!" she whispered urgently, "Where is it?"

Rose screamed when she felt something grab a hold of her ankle. Hearing the footsteps quicken she looked down and suddenly found herself stumped as staring back at her was the now conscious Doctor.

She reached down towards him, "No time to explain. We need to get out of here." She lifted him by the arms, pulling him up as he stared at her, trying to focus, "Where's the panel?"

"What?" he asked, turning his now unsure eyes towards her, "What are you going on about?"

"The sec-"

Before she could finish the door opened and standing in front of her was the man she had trusted, the man who she had once childishly imagined getting married to and the man she had realised was her friend and nothing more, but right now he wasn't any of that.

He wasn't her friend, he wasn't her ex-boyfriend, he was the boy she had grown up with…he wasn't even Mickey anymore.

He was empty; filled with nothing but hatred and possessed by some being of sorts. Something evil, something sinister, something cruel and its eyes were now set solely on her.

Before she could even realise what was going on he had walked into the room and enclosed his large hand around her neck, lifting her off her feet and away from the Doctor.

"Doctor!" she croaked, finding it suddenly hard to breath, "Some help here…"

To be continued...

**AN: Yeah, I know. In a way it is a filler chapter but I'm deciding at the moment whether I should clear up if it really is the Doctor or not...On one hand it'll clear up a mystery but on the other hand I could do this whole thing with even more mystery...well, I probably could think up of something mysterious. It's so hard to choose...Well, anyway a new chapter should be up soon since regular updates are back for me since the return of the USB. Well, a new USB but still. Review if you enjoyed...**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Ok, so I'm back and I'm still alive with a giant hatred for school...no wait, I already had that...I know, a giant hatred for the cruelity that is coursework. Yes, people I've been very busy with that cruel evil coursework that I haven't had anytime to write, but hopefully things will be back to normal soon seeing as I'm nearly finished with most of the coursework, at least for now. So once again apoligies, and let's get on with the story...**

_Previously..._

_Before she could even realise what was going on he had walked into the room and enclosed his large hand around her neck, lifting her off her feet and away from the Docto_

_"Doctor!" she croaked, finding it suddenly hard to breath, "Some help here…"_

_--_

Rose gasped for air, feeling the pressure around her neck increase. She wasn't sure how long she could stay conscious at the rate this was going. She kicked at her assailant, the man she once called a friend and pushing past the small pang of guilt (He was possessed after all and that meant Mickey was still in there...somewhere.) she kicked with all her might, hoping that the Doctor would break out of his reverie and help her.

Sure he wasn't exactly himself with a brain injury but at least he could do something. Sucking desperately at the air, she croaked out, "Doctor!"

He looked at her, his head moving slowly and blinked, "Oh, put her down."

Surprisingly Mickey's grip loosened and she fell to the floor as pain struck her. She looked up at the Doctor, "How did you do that?"

"Dunno," He paused, "Wonder how that worked."

"He must listen to your commands or something."

"Maybe..." The Doctor replied, "Let's see. Sit."

Mickey sat down, crossing his legs as he went.

"Good doggy." The Doctor patted his head.

"Doctor!"

"Sorry..." He replied sheepishly, "Couldn't resist."

He looked down at Mickey and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Rose studied him before rushing forward as he slumped forward, barely catching him before he began to plummet towards the floor.

"Doctor!" she shouted, concern overtaking her again, "Doctor can you hear me?"

He groaned as he mumbled, "Sorry. Felt a little light-headed."

"Doctor…" He stood up straight again and looked her in the eye, "I need to show you something."

"What?"

"I scanned you."

He raised an eyebrow, "Did you?" She nodded in response, "What did you find?"

"Doctor, there's a black spot on your brain."

"Oh, is there?"

Her eyes narrowed. Why did he seem like well, why didn't he seem more surprised by that little fact? There is definitely no good reason as to having a black spot on a brain scan. A completely void mark in the middle of a person's brain was definitely not normal, so why wasn't he more worried?

She smiled warily, trying to let her suspicions be unknown, "So what does that mean?"

"Mean? Well," He scratched the back of his head, "It means my head's gotten a little bit messed up. Just a teeny-weeny kind of disastrous mess up but a mess up nonetheless. The only thing I can think of that could actual cause it is..."

"Being possessed?"

He shook his head, letting out a small laugh, "No." He paused, "Where did you get that idea from?" She pointed downwards to the sitting Mickey, staring blankly at the wall whilst rubbing her still aching neck with her other hand. The Doctor drew out a breath, "Oh. Him."

"Yes him! What are we going to do about Mickey? Who's done this to him because that sure isn't how Mickey normally acts? And what caused that on your brain?"

"Well, I wasn't entirely truthful earlier."

Her lips pursed together as she tried to remain calm, "About what exactly?"

"Your missing week of memories...I, uh, wasn't exactly truthful about what happened to you...well, to us."

Rose's eyed widened. She knew it. She had known something had happened. She had known he had been lying, but about what exactly?

"What did happen?" She enquired.

"I found something. This device. Um, don't know what it does but...it did something to me. And then things started going wrong..."

"Wrong?"

"Yeah, wrong; very wrong. A big giant disastrous monstrosity of wrongs all rolled in to one, to be more precise. The king of wrong happenings, occurrences and..." He gripped his head with his hand, "Wrong...just wrong."

"And?"

"Well, the thing is..." He began sheepishly, "I can't actually tell you."

"Why not?"

"I think it had something to do with the device. Well, every time I try, it - whatever it actually is - won't let me. It just kind of comes out as a lie. I've tried writing it down. Same thing happens. Tried wiring myself up to the Tardis and sending it out as a thought but...well, I can't really remember what happened but next thing I knew I was walking into the console room to find you there. And I was lying - against my control might I add - about a boiler room."

She didn't know what to say. What could she say? This sounded implausible but the fact he was saying it made it sound plausible, but could it actually be true, "Can we fix it?"

"I've tried. Same thing happens. I really can't tell you Rose...but I think I can show you."

"How?"

"Come with me." He stuck out his hand, and she eyed it warily.

"What about Mickey?"

"Well, he can come with us." He looked down at Mickey and clicked his finger whilst speaking in a voice suited to calling a dog, "Here Mickey, Mickey, Mickey. Here boy." Mickey stood up again, "Heel boy."

Rose glared at him, "Stop it!"

He lowered his head, "Sorry." he mumbled out.

"Just stop doing that. He's a person. Don't mock him like that." she replied, looking at Mickey. She really wanted him back to who he was.

"Ok, but we need to get you finding out what happened as soon as possible. So...let's go."

--

Rose eyes flickered over to the two men in front of her; one as zombie-like as ever; his movements clear-cut and so predictable and the other...well, he was the Doctor, there was nothing predictable about him and that was the problem.

Her thoughts felt jumbled, her memories unsure. There was a big sense of distrust. That she was sure of but she didn't know why. She wanted to remember that week; she needed to remember and, according to the Doctor, she was on the verge of finding out about that missing week of memories but still, she felt a sense of distrust because the Doctor had been acting strange - was acting strange - and at the same time he wasn't.

She tried to think back the last few days, the ones with her memory in tact and there had been moments where she had seen a look uncharacteristic of the Doctor, or a smile that couldn't quite reach the eyes and then in the bathroom...what had he meant? What did 'Don't forget about me' mean?

And it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks; a possibility of what it meant and she suddenly felt sick. Physically sick because she had been so blind. She had been so concerned about her missing week of memories and what not having them meant, that she had forgotten to even try and figure out what those memories were.

And now she knew. Not all of them, but two significant memories to say the least and looking up at the Doctor, he was greatly involved in them.

And suddenly she knew what she had to do.

--

It had hardly come as a surprise to Rose that at this moment her mind had decided to work. She was after all inside the Tardis and no matter what she had originally thought, this ship was alive and all the keener in trying to help its occupants than any human, person or being would ever be to another.

She smiled to herself; an action that went unnoticed by the Doctor who was too busy setting up the machine. Mickey was by his side; staring blankly ahead – no change there, she thought.

She could do this. She could do this. She could do this…couldn't she?

Rose turned away, it didn't matter if she could or couldn't do it. She needed to do it. After seeing those memories – those strange and distant memories – she knew belonged to her, she had to do this in order to save him.

Something pressed down on her arm and she jumped in surprise, letting out a small scream.

"Whoa!" she heard the Doctor say, quickly removing his hand, "You okay?"

Rose placed a hand over her heart, her breathing suddenly erratic, "You just scared me! Don't sneak up behind me like that!"

"Sorry," he mumbled. He was silent for a moment; carefully studying her; she did the same to him, "It's ready." He stated quietly.

"It is?" He nodded, "Right."

Rose turned her gaze away from him and towards the machine. It was an odd contraption made out of – what she presumed to be – a large chair, a series of seemingly misplaced wires and other odds and ends, a television screen, a light bulb, a keyboard which was attached to an toaster, a helmet and finally a fork…

"What's the fork for?" she asked him, not taking her eyes off the machine.

"Helps zone in on the memories." His face beamed, "Go on then. Take a seat. It won't bite."

Rose swallowed a lump in her throat as fear attempted to engulf her. She could turn and run. IT would be so easy to do it; such a simple action, but she wasn't the kind of person who ran. She stayed and fought, because that was the right thing to do; that was what he had taught her. She could do this…she could do this…

"Are you sure about that?" she asked hesitantly taking a seat.

He placed the helmet on her head, "Of course I'm sure. It's not like we're on Corca, there isn't going to be any incidents with extremely hungry sofas."

"Where's Corca?" she asked, trying not to pay attention to what he was doing.

"Uh, around." He replied. He reached around her and pulled up a strap, placing it on her chest, "Safety precaution," he mumbled.

She let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah…safety precaution for what?" she asked, "This isn't dangerous, is it? I mean it's not going to make my head explode or anything, right?"

"Right." He assured her.

The Doctor tightened the straps once more before he made his way over towards the toaster-keyboard. He avoided making eye contact with her.

"Everything's going to be okay?" she asked him; wondering what his answer would be; wondering if he would answer at all; wondering if her would look at her.

He did, "Yeah, everything's going to be great. Brilliant in fact." He smiled, "We're going to find out the truth. We're going to find out everything."

The Doctor flipped a nearby switch and she suddenly found her vision exploding in gold.

His smile disappeared.

To be continued...

**AN: Yes, I still haven't really given away if it is the Doctor or not, but you will probably find out next chapter so for the final time (and this may help affect the storyline) do you think it is the real Doctor or not?**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Dum dum dum, sorry with the suspensefulness (Yes I know that's not a word) but here it is, for the first time you find out a really answer to part of the mystery. Took me long enough, I know…ah, this feels like the beginning of the end. No longer do I get to make extremely evil cliffhangers which end up complicating the mystery but you know me, I've gotta love the mystery…lol.**

**Now to recap some of my most asked questions.**

**What is in the room? (sorry, you won't find that out in this chapter. Although I do have an idea of how I'm going to lead up to that reveal. Two words – secret door. Lol…remember that is not definite yet. Just an idea)**

**Is it the real Doctor or not? (That's going to be found out in this chapter. Finally, I know.)**

**What's the deal with the ghost doctor? *shrugs* (Maybe in the next chapter…or two…maybe)**

**What's up with Mickey? (Ditto the last point)**

**What's with the large blood stain Rose and Mickey found earlier? (Well, that goes hand in hand with another point so you know…it'll be revealed when it's revealed…lol)**

**Let's see what else…ok, I can't remember off the top of my head the other questions…you know what if I've forgotten any then you an just tell me in a review and I'll remember to address them soon. **

**Ok, as much as all of you love to hear me ramble, I'm sure that it would be best for all if I choose this moment to stand still (Ok, I'm actually lying down with a laptop on my lap but still the point is still relevant) and take a moment to get on with the story…oh yeah, that's my cue to get on with the story so let's get this show (chapter) on the road…**

**Btw I'm writing this AN before I've actually written the chapter so any changes to what is listed above are possible.**

**-------**

Rose felt as if she was drowning. There was a tightness in her chest, her arms ached and for a moment she realised it was the bonds holding her down. They had been restricting before, but they now felt like large pieces of steel trapping her underneath…what exactly was she trapped under?

She couldn't remember...but she couldn't ignore the questions swirling through her head.

_Why can't I open my eyes? Am I dead? Where's the Doctor? Where am I?_

"Rose…"

Doctor? She wanted to open her mouth, to speak back but found that like her eyes, they would not co-operate. No, she couldn't understand why everything wasn't working. She needed to open her eyes. She needed the reassurance his gaze gave her. If she could just see him then maybe…maybe this wouldn't seem so bad…

No, there was something she had forgotten…something important…something to do with…

_His eyes shot open once more as he grabbed Rose, clutching at her desperately. She jumped in surprise, letting out a yelp, "Rose, we don't have much time."_

The memory came out of nowhere, and if she could she might have blinked in surprise.

_He let out a yawn as he slowly closed his heavy tired eyes, forcing Rose to slap at his cheeks, "Doctor, keep awake. What do you need to warn me about?"_

The wanring, it was somewthing to do with that. She had remembered…what was it? Don't…Something the Doctor had said, something…

"_Don't forget about me…"_

Oh god…

"Rose…" His voice, rung through her head, "Now listen to me, you're going to feel very out of it, but just listen to me and we can unlock those hidden memories for you. Now, let's start off with something easy…"

'What am I meant to do?' She wondered to herself, 'How do I-'

"Ok, let's think back to when you first met me…"

Despite herself, she found her mind wandering back at the mere mention of the words. It was as if she had no control over it. Her body or in this case, mind, reacted instantly to it.

_The dummies were closing in; the fear rose in her hest as she squeezed her eyes shut willing for it all to be a nightmare. This wasn't happening. She would wake up from bed in any minute and she would laugh about how absurd a dream it was. Shop window dummies, what a laugh._

_Yet she knew, that this wasn't a dream. She knew it with every fibre of her being. Dreams (or nightmares might be a more appropriate word) didn't have her remembering her boring mundane day, they didn't have her feeling like this was it, they didn't make her feel scared…_

_She found a hand suddenly tugging at her own. Opening her eyes she found herself face with a man, "Run…"_

_So she ran._

The memory was beginning to falter. She winced as a sharp pain shot through her head.

_Running down a street in London, hand in hand._

Rose could hear a voice speaking in her ear…

_A werewolf chasing after them, her heart pounding in her chest…_

She couldn't decipher the mumbles in her ear…

_The grass whipping at her feet as she ran with him by her side; the smell of apple grass filled her nostrils._

The voice seemed so far away…

_His hand gripped hers tightly – a gesture of reassurance – as she walked away form her dead father._

So far away…

"_Rose…"_

This wasn't right. She was meant to-

"ROSE!"

The voice got louder in her head.

"Rose, listen to me. We don't have much time." His voice sounded urgent, "If you can hear me then I need you to clear your mind. Can you do that Rose? Just let everything go…let the memories go…"

And just like that the images in her head dwindled away from her mind and suddenly she could still hear his voice, only she knew it wasn't his voice. It was different…it was still far away, in the back reaches of her mind calling out to her.

The one who helped her clear her head had been closer. Almost as if…

"Rose."

And his face appeared from nowhere, almost blinding her with its presence.

Once again, she attempted to speak but no sound came, no movement came in fact. She remained silent, whilst in her mind she was screaming out to be heard.

"You can't speak Rose, and I'm so sorry about that. I never wanted it to get to here, but it's me. I'm here. It's the Doctor." His voice sounded strange, as if it wasn't part of anything. Like it was a recording being played out on bad speakers, "I don't have much time, don't whatever you do let your mind focus on my regenerations. Don't focus on that. Don't focus on the events leading up to it. As far as you're concerned, they never happened. I'm sorry I never explained what happened much there but I thought it would be safer if you didn't know…but now…well, with you in this, I can't risk it. I can't risk your mind being bombarded with those images. They're just too risky. If you end up focusing in on them, then there could be catastrophic effects such as-"

He was cut off mid-sentence and just like that his presence was gone.

"Rose…"

Her mind screamed for sleep, this was too powerful, too draining. This was not something she could handle. She needed to…

"Rose."

She blinked, and light streamed in, blinding her. She promptly squeezed her eyes shut once again. After taking a few seconds she opened them one again and found herself facing the Doctor.

"Ok, back to the land of the living Rose. Lost you there for a minute. We can try again."

"I want to stop." Her voice sounded scratchy, her throat ached for water.

"Rose…" he said warningly, "We can't stop."

She coughed, letting her throat clear and once again repeated, "I want to stop." The look in his eyes changed, and she knew she needed to get out. It had been too much of a risk, "I'm tired. We can do this again after I sleep. I'm really tired. Can you get these things off of me?"

She gave him an innocent look, hoping he would remove the restraints, "I'm sorry, Rose, but we can't do that."

"Let me go." She whispered, her voice as laced with an underlying threat as she had seen the Doctor use so many times, but this was not the Doctor…not anymore.

He tilted his head slightly, she suddenly felt unnerved, "You know." He simply stated.

"Know what?"

He inched closer, studying her reaction. She resisted the urge to pull her head back as far as possible, "Oh you know."

"What?" she knew it was a lost cause to play dumb, but she figured it was worth a try at this point, "Know what?"

He leaned back and she almost breathed a sigh of relief, "Don't play dumb, Rose." He said loudly, his voice changing to one of menace, "You remember. There's no point hiding it anymore. You know what I'll do if you lie to me anyway."

She swallowed.

In truth, she did not remember what exactly he could do to her as she had only remembered a few memories, but she knew he was dangerous; could be dangerous and she did not want to be the one suffering because of that dangerous streak.

"Ok, I know."

He let out a chuckle, a low one that ended up sounding more malicious to her ears than intended, "Of course you do."

"Where's the Doctor?"

He spread his arms wide, grinning his giant grin, "I'm standing right here."

"Where's the real Doctor?"

He tilted his head, "Oh…" A small look of triumph graced his features, "You haven't pieced it together. I thought the bloodstain would have been a clue. If you're wondering how I knew that, then cast your eyes over Mickey the Idiot. Didn't realise how idiotic you humans are." He pulled out an item from his pocket, waving it in front of her face, "One little look at my device and he just had to press it. It was a good thing he did. My brain was getting fried at the time, that helped relieve the pressure after you gave me that stupid pill."

Rose's heart felt like his feet were stomping on it repeatedly. Her ears had been listening in – barely – but one word had caught her attention. It was because of that one word that made her feel like her world was falling apart.

"Is he dead?" she asked tentatively, her voice laced with emotion.

He simply stared at her in response, "I think it's time you went back to sleep."

"Is he dead?" she screamed at him, "Tell me if the Doctor is dead!"

He rushed towards her, bringing his face to hers. They were less than an inch apart. His voice was low and harsh as he spoke, "What do you think?"

A single tear dripped from her eye and down her cheek. He moved it away with his finger; she flinched at his touch, "There, there," he said condescendingly, "No need to cry. He's in a better place. I think you should get some rest, don't you?"

She wanted to shout and scream at him. The man she hated at this very moment was at the same time the one who was breaking her heart with grief. A man who was taunting her with the face of a dead man.

She wanted to kill him.

But she wouldn't even if she could.

It wouldn't be what the Doctor would do.

"Go to sleep." He whispered in her ear before pressing a switch and found herself paralysed once more.

To be continued…

**AN: Wow, I've just finished the chapter and I'm happy with it…I'm, yeah, I'm happy with it…although I do feel like I'm not sure how to write anymore. I haven't been reading much DW fanfiction (I've now become temporarily obsessed with reading fanfiction for another show. I would tell you which one but it's even embaressing for me to admit to because if you put me and that show in the same sentence, it's like sticking the Doctor in a bikinin – they just don't go hand in hand…lol, the Doctor in a bikini.) or rewatching the eps (I'm waiting for S4 to come out on dvd before I watch again) so hopefully this isn't out of character except for the fact the Doc is now out of character because it has been revealed people. **

**IT IS NOT THE DOCTOR! Yes, he is indeed a fraud. Our evil Doc from the earlier chapters is back. And this time there is no second Doc to save Rose. Mwuhahahahahahah! I'm evil, but I apologise for my horrible attempt at an evil laugh. Please send all suggestions at how to improve…oh, nevermind. Lol…so yes, I've revealed part of the mystery…ok, it's good to get it off my chest…well, the feeling will come…ah, I miss the wholesome evil mystery.**

**Ok, well anyway, leave me a review and I'll get back to you. And if anyone wants to see if they can review something as long as my AN was today then go ahead, it'll amuse me…but really, why are my AN so long today? It's weird…usually I ramlbed every so often but this has to be the longest ramble I've done for a while...ok, I'll stop rambling now. **


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I'm back. Yes, I deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered for the wait but it is Christmas and I'm running low on funds so it took me a while to get the new USB. Ah, why do I have to spend so much money on other people for Christmas…maybe I should become a hermit…less friends…less presents…more time to write…much easier lifestyle. Lol…anyone else up to being a hermit and being part of 'HERMITS UNITED'. Lol…ok, on with the story...**

Her murky mind felt like it was being doused in fog, each time she tried to concentrate on something – anything – she had found herself almost pulled deeper, being completely covered in it. And she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was helpless and alone. For the first time, since she had met the Doctor she was truly facing an enemy alone, because he wasn't there to save. How could he be? He was dead, gone…forever.

Oh god…

The Doctor was dead.

She wanted to cry but being unconscious put a damper on that plan. Something she grateful for…at least it was a small gesture she was grateful for. _He _wouldn't be able to see her cry. _He _wouldn't be able to smile at seeing her weakened.

"Rose…" The Doctor's voice rang in her ears, but she knew it to be his evil double. Maybe it was the hostility in his voice, the disregard for hearing his voice and knowing how much pain it would bring her to listen to it or maybe it was the knowledge that he – the real Doctor – was dead but she felt herself falling through her mind. No longer caring what he would do to her…

"Think of the light, Rose. The golden light you saw when you tried to save…him. Think back to when he left you behind. Think of the pain you felt. Think of the fact he didn't want you there. Think of how that made you feel. Think of the light. Think of the Tardis. Think of its golden heart being poured out for you to see. Now tell me how you did it. Tell me how you opened it…"

Her mind went blank as she prepared herself to listen to him. She didn't care anymore what happened to her. There was no one to save her, she was trapped; unable to save herself even if she wanted to so what exactly was the point of being alive anymore. He would get it out of her eventually…it was only a matter of time. It would hurt less this way.

"No!" The Doctor shouted in her ear, more alive than she had ever heard him. This was her Doctor, but that was impossible. It couldn't be the real Doctor; he was dead. This was just a figment of her imagination, trying to compensate for the loss, "Rose! Don't do this!"

_Why not? You're dead…I'm a prisoner in my own mind. What's left to hold on to?_

His voice sounded so far away, much further from his initial shout as he continued, "Rose, if you let him find out how to open the heart of the Tardis then think of what he could do with that power. Imagine how much damage he could cause the universes. He could destroy everything."

I'm so tired…

"I know." He whispered.

How am I meant to stop him?

"Fight him, Rose. I know you can do it. You're strong enough to do so."

She wanted to shake her head and tell him he was wrong because he was. What could she do? She was just a simple human – alone against an enemy that had already won. What was the point in fighting anymore?

"Rose! You just need to believe in yourself. Come on! Don't you dare do this! You're a fighter Rose. When I met you I you were so brave and you were only a human, but you're a courageous bunch aren't you. Crazy stupid Idiots, most of the time but so brave. And you…Rose, you made me fight. When I met you I was ready to give up but I saw how you were and I found hope again. Don't give hope Rose. You can fight him. Trust me."

And despite it all - after everything she had been feeling – she was listening to him. She didn't even care if he was a figment of her imagination, he was here telling her to fight and she was going to listen because if she had been the one who died, he would be the one still fighting.

_How?_

Rose could almost hear the relief in his voice as he answered, "Make Mickey the Idiot wake up from naptime."

Pushing through the emotions that plagued her and the tiredness that threatened to push her under, she forced herself to fight. She willed herself to listen to his voice and even though she didn't know if it was going to work, she tried to open her mouth and scream.

It seemed to be working. At least judging from the high pitched sound emanating from her – it was coming from her, right? – helped collaborate that fact. She was screaming, whether it would work or not would be another case altogether.

"That's it Rose! Keep fighting!" The real Doctor – figment or not – chorused in her ear.

"What are you doing?" The exact same voice rang in her other ear but it was angry – so very angry, "Stop that! Stop screaming you stupid child!"

A sharp pain shot up her arm, but she didn't stop screaming. She had to keep fighting for the Doctor – the real Doctor; she had to keep fighting in his memory.

----------

For Mickey Smith, it felt as if a fog was being lifted from his head. A sharp sound rang in his ear, pulling him out of the abyss he had been in only mere seconds ago. Everything was murky, except for that noise. No that was become cleared by the second until he realised that someone was screaming.

Wait! He knew that voice!

That was Rose! Rose was screaming!

Why?

Concern coursed through his veins and he struggled to fight against the fog that was still weighing him down. As her scream rang louder in his ears, he could hear another voice shouting at her.

He knew at that moment that Rose was in danger and that he needed to help her because the Doctor wasn't going to be there to help her. No, he was the one causing her the pain and that meant one thing – he was the one who had to save her. He got to be the hero this time.

And with that thought in his mind, Mickey Smith opened his eyes.

To be continued...

**AN: Review if you enjoyed. Oh and Merry Christmas by the way.**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Another chapter, sorry for the delay, life and a sying tooth nerve got in the way. Well, here's the new chapter and to those who also read my 'A Kiss Isn't Just A kiss' story, I am already halfway through writing it so it should be up very soon. Anyway, on with story...**

**---------**

It was a shock for Mickey when he opened his eyes to find himself in the Tardis when the last recollection he had was being in Rose's flat. By the fact Rose was now screaming was a change too but what was most surprising was the man who he had last seen unconscious was the initiator of her pain - something he had never expected the Doctor of becoming, despite all his misgivings towards the man.

It took Mickey a moment to move, his mind being lagged down by the lack of control he felt he had. His limbs felt distant, his thoughts scattered, but he knew he had to help Rose and with every fibre of his being he was determined to save her, but he still seemed condemned in his prison for a moment.

It was his finger that twitched first, and then again until his whole hand had joined in. With that, movement became much easier and soon Mickey sprang into action.

Only to forget that his legs had not had the sensation of reawakening yet.

He stumbled up, unnoticed by the Doctor, who had been too preoccupied with Rose to notice the idiot he had presumed was still under control, was up and about and now with feeling returning to all of his extremities Mickey felt strong for once; like he could do this, he could stop the Doctor and Rose would see him as more than just the man who she had ran from at a moment's notice.

It was with that thought in mind that Mickey Smith swung his fist.

It collided with the Doctor's jaw; fist crunching against bone. The Doctor staggered backwards surprised by the blow. Mickey, on the other hand, was blowing helplessly on his now aching hand.

"Ow!" He winced. _Okay, maybe he wasn't that strong._

"What?" The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise, "How the hell did you-?"

"Oi Doc, I thought you were meant to care about her." He indicated towards Rose, who had now stopped screaming but did not look anymore relieved even in her unconscious state, "What have you become?"

"Oh," The Doctor sighed, his composure changing, "You really are an idiot! Who do you think did this to her?"

Mickey looked stumped for a moment, "Uh," he began, "You."

The Doctor shook his head, "Mickey, I'm trying to help her. You did this to her, don't you remember? You were in the flat and you went crazy. You attacked me and took off with Rose. I'd only just managed to get inside the Tardis before I heard her scream. I stopped you, but…" His voice trailed away, his gaze moving towards Rose; Mickey followed suit, "I was too late to stop you."

--------

'_No Mickey!' _Rose's mind screamed, not that he could hear her, '_Don't listen to him, Mickey! He's lying!'_

"I did this to her?" She could hear Mickey's voice echo from far away. She wanted to reach out and shake him. He had to have known that he wouldn't hurt her, he had to help her.

"Yes, now let me help her and you before you try to kill her again."

'Help me!' She wanted to hear the Doctor's voice in her head again, she needed to know how to fix things; she needed to find a way to make Mickey understand who was the real villain here. 'Help me Doctor!'

But the voice in her head remained silent and she could not help but wonder if hearing him – the real Doctor - been a figment of her imagination after all, some will on her part to hold on to hope that he was still alive.

Yet, his voice had so clear as if he had been standing right beside her, encouraging her…

'_What do I do?'_

There was no way she could shout out a warning; no way to make her voice speak the words. She could not move, she was useless like this.

Everything was falling apart. This was an impossible situation.

And just like his voice in her head, it came back clear and strong once more. Only this time he was whispering words she knew well, a lesson he had taught her many times that she did not need reminding of the message.

She could almost imagine the infectious grin he would have on his face if he said the words, "Nothing is impossible!" His voice was loud and determined, "Nothing!"

-------

Mickey stood transfixed; unable to tear his eyes away from Rose. Could he really…could he have really did this to her? Was he the one who had hurt her? Was the Doctor trying to help?

He closed his eyes, shaking his head at the thought. No, he would never hurt Rose; he wasn't even capable of it, he was sure of that…wasn't he?

An image flashed in his eyes, a memory he did not remember living until this very moment.

_He felt like he had been hollowed out, all emotions removed; all except for the burning anger and hatred that now filled his soul. He looked at the woman before him with familiar recognition; her name was on the forefront of his mind but no matter how hard he tried to think of what it could be, it pushed itself away from him. It didn't really matter if he was honest, what importance could there be in a name?_

_She was going to die soon anyway; this was her fault, he needed to kill her. As to why, he had no answer, but he knew that she was the one who needed to die, to suffer, to be in pain…_

_He sauntered forward, his movements strong and clumsy as he securely fitted his hand around her neck, lifting her up with surprising ease. Her face contorted in a mixture of surprise, fear and pain and a part of him felt that she deserved it._

"_Doctor!" he watched her croak out. His grip tightened at the sound of that name, "Some help here…"_

Mickey let out a shaky breath as the memory faded away. The Doctor was right, he had tried to kill her…he was a monster.

"I remember…" Mickey gasped out.

"You do?" The Doctor's voice was alert with alarm.

Mickey nodded, "I remember…" The words stuck in his throat but he forced them out, "Choking her…oh god, I was so-" Angry? Was that the word? It had seemed much worse than that, so much more than just mere anger. He had wanted to kill her, to see the life choked out of her; he wanted to see the light go out in her eyes…how could he describe that?

"You were what?" The Doctor enquired.

"She was so…scared of me." Mickey turned his eyes away from the Doctor to Rose. He reached out his hand hesitating to touch her own, afraid that if he did then he would revert back to that…whoever he had become in those moments. He pulled back his hand, "I'm sorry Rose." He whispered, unable to take his eyes off of her hand. He craved to touch it, but he daren't out of fear for her…

IT was at that moment, so transfixed in staring at Rose's hand that he saw something move, a flicker of movement in his vision stilled his mind and body.

Had she just-

His mouth hung open as her finger twitched again; he could hear the Doctor saying something to him but he could not make sense of the words being said out of sheer shock at seeing Rose move.

"Did I do this to you?" Mickey whispered, hoping that his memory had been playing tricks on him, "Who did this to you Rose?"

Her finger straightened shakily and Mickey looked at her face to see her eyelids flicker. He looked down at her hand again and found it to be pointing straight at him.

A wave of guilt cascaded over him; he had done this to her.

And yet the finger moved, slowly until it stopped abruptly. Mickey looked at the course of the finger and stared up to find the Doctor staring back, his face twisted in realisation that Rose was indeed awake and that he had been caught in his lie.

"You!" Mickey whispered hoarsely, "You did this!"

The Doctor glared at him, "I did."

"Why did you do this Doctor?"

He smirked, "Who said I was the Doctor?"

And then the Doctor lunged at him, a glint of metal in the light accompanying him as he did so.

To be continued...

**AN: Review if you enjoyed...**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Ah, another chapter...it's interesting when inspiration can hit. In my case, it is exactly 5:39am (yes, read that AM) and I just finished this chapter and almost all of the next one. Good progress I think. Now, on to the story...because after last chapter's cliffhanger who doesn't want to get on with the story?**

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Mickey barely had time to sidestep the attack before he realised what was going on. He took in the sight of the knife in the Doctor's hand before he realised one important thing – he had never been in a proper fight in his entire life.

No, he had been in the odd argument. He had given the occasional punch, which usually ended up unsuccessfully doing any damage at all. In fact he was the one who ended up hurting himself just trying as his still throbbing hand reminded him of earlier.

Now, he was faced with the one guy he had wanted to punch more times than he could count but even Mickey could realise that in a bare knuckle fight, he would most likely be hopeless due to his lack of experience so to add to the fact his opponent also had a knife was not making the odds any fairer or his chances any less bleaker.

The Doctor turned and Mickey contemplated trying to make him see reason but the animalistic look in his eyes reminded Mickey of the fact that this may look like the Doctor, but whoever was really there impersonating the time lord was not the kind of person who would listen to reason.

"Do you really think you can win this?" The Doctor asked as he watched Mickey's eyes dart around the room, searching for something – anything – to help defend himself with, "You might as well give up now, Mickey Smith." He leaned forward slightly, as if whispering a secret, "If you do, your death will be so much more painless." He smirked as he leaned back, "Or maybe I'll torture you slowly before I kill you. You're of no real use, your death will be entertainment at best."

Mickey could see the look in the brown eyes of the man before him; if he were to describe it, the word that fitted best would be psychotic. It was not something that came with utter delusions, but with an underlying intelligence. The Doctor or what had proclaimed himself as the Doctor was completely and utterly stark raving bonkers, and with that thought firmly planted in his mind, Mickey knew that if he did not do something he would end up being tortured merely for the entertainment of one sick individual.

"You might as well give up." The evil-Doctor said, he let the grip on the knife in his hand loosen before tightening again, "You know, they've always considered you a failure, a complete idiot, useless in every capacity. I mean the only thing that has ever made you accomplished was your ability to hack into sites not meant to be hacked into, but even the Doctor could do that better than you. And then there was Rose-" He tilted his head, as he watched Mickey stiffen slightly at the sound of her name before looking down at the blonde, "How did it feel?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Mickey looked up.

"How did it feel to realise that the one person you loved didn't care enough to stay? To instead leave you behind – the pitiful boyfriend – to go off with someone she had only just met? How must that have hurt? And then for a whole year, because of her everyone thought you had killed her. Did you think you were going crazy when you say the blue box disappear in front of your eyes? Did everyone else think you were crazy when you told them about it? And how did it feel when she came back and without a thought forgot about you again just as soon as something more interesting came up? How did that feel?" He finally finished, gauging Mickey's reaction at the impact of his words.

Mickey was silent for a moment before he whispered in a voice so low that had the room not been silent beforehand, it would have been difficult to comprehend the words being spoken, "It hurt…"

His response pleased the Doctor, "Does it make you want to hurt her like she's hurt you?"

Mickey raised his gaze, a sad look gracing his features. His voice was laced with bottled up emotion, as he replied, "No, never." He swallowed, "I would never hurt her."

That reply made the smirk that once was complacent on the Doctor's face to fall into an annoyed grimace, "Too bad. I would have let you live if you had wanted to."

The Doctor stepped towards Mickey who took a step back, edging closer to the door. He knew he shouldn't run, although every fibre of his being was telling him to but he could not – would not – abandon Rose even if it meant risking his life. Maybe if she was up, about and conscious then maybe he would run, but with her by his side but unless he could find a way to make that happen then his only option was to stay and fight.

With a look of amusement, the Doctor eyed each of Mickey's movements, knowing that his gaze would unnerve him. He tilted his head, his hand clenching around the knife bringing it up – an act of intimidation.

"Fight or flight, Mickey-boy?" he asked condescendingly, a smirk plastered on his features. Mickey remained silent, passive, unmoving as if any movement would provoke the crazed man before him. "You know what, I'll even give you a chance." The Doctor continued, bored of the lack of response, "No knives. Good old-fashioned fistfight, fair and square. What do you say?"

Mickey, in all honesty, could find no words to speak with. If this was a trick then he didn't really know what the purpose was. He wasn't going to suddenly trust him, and he still had a knife in his hand, something Mickey could not tear his gaze away from in fear that if he did, the knife and he would get much better acquainted. The Doctor followed his gaze and turned slightly, throwing the knife into a corner.

"You see, fair and square. Let's say whoever wins gets to stay alive. And if I win, then we both know what's going to happen to Miss Tyler." The Doctor placed a hand on Rose's cheek, slowly drawing a finger down it with a smirk on his face, waiting for Mickey to react just as he expected which, unsurprisingly, he did.

"Don't you touch her!" Mickey, in a fit of anger, moved towards the Doctor, his feet moving of their own accord as anger bubbled up within him, a need to protect Rose fuelling that anger.

The Doctor reached forward once Mickey was within reach and grabbed his shirt, bunching it as his fist curled around it and with surprising strength, something that seemed incapable to think of thin man of having, turned Mickey around and pushed him harshly against the wall.

"Or what?" His voice was harsh, bitter, sinister, "What are you going to do about it? Come on, let's see what you're made of."

Mickey made an attempt to push the Doctor but before he could even raise his hands, the Doctor had grabbed at his head and slammed it against the wall.

An acute pain throbbed and Mickey's vision faltered momentarily as a second blow to the head soon followed. He reached up and with what strength he had, pushed the Doctor away who staggered back a few steps.

Mickey blinked, reaching up to feel his head. Something sticky touched his hand upon contact.

The Doctor, refreshed by a new purpose, had recovered, "Oh not so weak as I was lead to believe." The Doctor raised his fist, giving a blow to Mickey's stomach. He doubled over as the air shot out of him before attempting to give an uppercut to the Doctor's chin, which landed awkwardly in his throat and caused a sudden bout of coughing to occur. Mickey took the opportunity to give another blow to the Doctor's face, so hard that not only would his own hand be bruised at giving it.

The Doctor, still coughing although less noticeably now, grabbed Mickey and pushed him, Mickey fell backwards towards Rose, his hand reaching out to grab something in support; he did manage to grab something but it slid downwards upon contact and Mickey realised it was a lever but before he could wonder what it was for, the Doctor had sauntered forward again, reaching behind him and pulling out a knife.

It was a different one than the one Mickey had seen him throw away only minutes before, "You said no knives?" he gasped out, "You said!"

"I was never one for fair and square." He pointed out with a shrug, "I think it's time we ended this. You're boring me with this feeble attempt at fighting. I'd rather see you in pain." His eyes narrowed, "Goodbye Mickey Smith."

With that he brought the knife down.

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**AN: Hehe...sorry can't help it, another cliffhanger, but remember I have almost finished the next chapter. Let's see how many reviews I get by tomorrow and I may finish the next chapter and post it up by the day after tomorrow or tomorrow...well, technically today. I know, quick for me. Review if you want another chapter...or if you liked this chapter...or if you want Mickey dead? Or alive? Or if anyone can figure out what's going to happen next because I'd love to hear your theories. Review...and thanks for reading...**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: This was meant to be up yesterday but I was sick so...forgive the delay. Although I'm still updating much earlier than usual so that's still good, well better than normal. Uh, yeah anyway you could stay here listening to me talk nonsense or you could be reading the new chapter so I'll stop so you can read it. On with the story...**

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Rose felt a tingling sensation fill her body, pushing out to every cell in her body. Something was lifting, and with a surprising realisation she knew it was the cloud of haze that had plagued her mind only moments before. The tiredness that had dragged her into the confines of her mind forcing her there was easing off and she instantly felt…relief.

No pain, no pressure, nothing holding her down or dragging her under...just relief.

She opened her eyes, the bright light stinging her eyes momentarily. She turned her head to the sound of a voice to her left.

"I think it's time we ended this. You're boring me with this feeble attempt at fighting. I'd rather see you in pain." Rose heard the Doctor's voice say - although she knew it was not the real Doctor and she cursed him for speaking with his voice – to Mickey, "Goodbye Mickey Smith."

It was then at that moment that Rose saw the knife in the Doctor's hands.

"No!" she screamed pushing herself forward but the binds that held her forced her back.

The Doctor's hand stilled halfway down as he turned his head to look at her. This gave Mickey ample opportunity to attack. He kicked forward with his foot – and although he had sworn he would never do it to another man – and it landed smack first in the Doctor's groin, who dropped the knife in pain.

Mickey kicked again with both feet this time at where the Doctor's stomach was; the Doctor was propelled backwards by the force and fell against the wall. Mickey quickly got up and rushed over to Rose, his hands fumbling as he pulled at binds.

"Rose, I'm so glad you're okay. I thought you wouldn't ever wake up." He quickly said, "I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear. I didn't have any control."

"I know Mickey, it's okay." She smiled, glad to have him back to his usual self, "Just get me out of here."

Mickey's hands moved quickly and Rose was soon up on her feet as soon as the last of her binds fell against the side of the chair. She rushed over to the Doctor who still groaned in pain, he looked up and opened his mouth to say something but before he could Rose pounced forward and hit him again and again, pounding her fists repeatedly against him, despising him for stealing the face of the man she had thought could never be stolen, for killing him and making her think that he was the same man.

She hated him, loathed him, despised him…and wanted to scream at the fact he had the face of someone she loved…had loved…that her grief of the real Doctor's loss would always be tainted by the impostor before her.

Tears sprung in her eyes, as arms wrapped around her waist, pulling away from the man (if you could even call him that) before her. A few of her tears leaked out and she spun, digging her face into Mickey's chest. He wrapped an arm around her awkwardly and patted her shoulder, keeping his eyes fixed on the Doctor's doppelganger as he did so. He wasn't risking anything by even taking his eyes off him for a minute.

"He's gone…" Rose mumbled, her tears subsiding even though it felt as if they would keep coming relentlessly. She was surprised that she could even find the strength to make them stop even momentarily, but she knew she needed to be strong despite the inferno of grief that infested within her because she needed answers, "The Doctor's gone."

"I'm sorry." Mickey whispered and she pulled away from him and nodded, closing her eyes as she turned back to the false version of the Doctor, who the only similarity to the real Doctor he shared was his face.

"What do we do now?"

The Doctor looked up at them, his eyes narrowed and recovered from his attack, "Yeah, Mickey, what are you going to do?"

"You shut up!" Mickey pointed at the Doctor. He had no idea what to do next, but he wasn't going to let the enemy know that.

"I know what to do." Rose said, her voice clear.

Mickey looked at her out of the corner of her eye, still keeping most of his focus on the Doctor, "What are you going to do?" he enquired.

"Hold on." Rose turned away, looking around the room for a familiar drawer. She opened a few, pushing the contents aside. When she failed to find what she was looking for in one, she closed it harshly and opened another one. Halfway through her rummage of a fifth drawer and she almost smiled slightly, pulling the objects out. She put one inside her sleeve, unbeknownst to the two males behind her.

She went to stand beside Mickey and handed it to him, "Here, press the red button and place it against his skin."

The Doctor who had sat leaned against the wall casually only moments before, stiffened as his eyes fell on the object, "Oh no you don't." He stood up faster than either Rose or Mickey had seen move before and considering they had been chased by monsters, common participants in moving quickly, that was saying something.

Mickey moved forward, object outstretched. The Doctor grabbed Mickey's hand with one hand and the other went to his throat. Mickey's free hand was spent grabbing on to the Doctor's, trying to pry it off so he could one again breathe.

So preoccupied with each other that neither of them noticed that Rose had stepped beside them and pulled an object - exactly the same to the one in Mickey's hand - out from her sleeve. She pressed it against the Doctor's neck and pressed the red button.

The Doctor's grip loosened on Mickey's neck before his hands dropped to his side, his head turned to look at Rose and he blinked once…twice…before falling unconscious, his body slamming harshly against the ground.

Mickey gasped in a fitful of air, once the tight grip relinquished. He placed his hands on his knees and managed to say between breaths, "What do we do now?"

"We find out why this happened and why the Doctor had to die because of it." She said, tears hidden in her eyes. She would not let them fall until this was over, "We find answers until we aren't left with any questions."

To be continued...

**AN: Sorry, couldn't help myself but end this chapter with the last two words being the name of the story. It just came to me and I had to write it. lol...anyway, review if you enjoyed...**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: OK, I'm back to . My exams are over and I firstly must apologise, it's been ages since I updated this story and I am truly sorry, but I'm back now and I'm determined to have this story finished by the end of summer. I know, it'll be quite an achievement for me if I actually succeed but all stories must come to an end including this one, but it won't be in this chapter definitely. Also, this chapter may make a few of you sad, and a few of you happy...I loved writing for the evil-Doc this chapter seeing as Mickey and Rose were a bit angsty. Promise. :D Now, on with the story...**

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Rose stared down at the fake Doctor, the one who had replaced the real one…the now dead Doctor. Rose wiped away a tear that had gone astray. This was not the time to succumb to grief, the Doctor deserved justice and she was going to get that for him, if it was the last thing she could do for him. It only served to help that by getting him justice; she would find answers of her own – answers she needed to know even if it meant that hope was extinguished and the reality of the Doctor's death only served to remain a figment of truth rather than a possibility of fiction.

"That's…"

"He's exactly the same. There isn't even a blemish that shouldn't be there. It's a perfect image of the Doctor."

"You don't think…" Mickey questioned, almost reluctantly in fear of Rose's reaction, "…that it might be the Doctor."

"No…the Doctor wouldn't act like this…" She looked down and took a breath, "I think I saw his ghost."

Mickey's head swivelled round, "A ghost?" He shouted in surprise and a tinge of glee. Secretly he had been fascinated with ghosts. He had remembered being a kid and when his mother had died, he always liked to believe that she was by his side watching over him.

He had never been sure about heaven but when his Gran died, he hoped there was one for her for she had always believed in heaven and if his stupidity in not fixing a carpet had sent her to her death, he hoped there was an afterlife for her to make up for it.

"Yes, Mickey a ghost." Rose replied.

"That's so cool." He whispered in delight, but after taking a look at Rose's dejected heartbroken face, guilt tore apart his delight and he mumbled a quick 'Sorry…' to her, knowing it wouldn't help.

She attempted to smile, but it came off forced, "It's okay." She assured him, "The Doctor would've thought it was interesting too."

"Rose, if there is even a small chance that he's not dead…" Mickey began, not knowing where the words had suddenly come from. He had to urge to give her hope, to give her anything that might make her smile or laugh or…do anything other than look heartbroken. And it was all because the Doctor was no longer in her life – the real one anyway, catching a glimpse at the unconscious one on the table beside where he stood. He had always wanted Rose to be free of the Doctor but he had never wanted _this_. He didn't want him to be dead – the man saved millions of people every day. It was something that even if he had grown to resent the Doctor, he could still respect him for. And he continued, knowing the words would hurt him in their honest truth, "…I'll do anything, Rose – anything – if he's still alive. I promise you that I'll get him back to you."

"That's sweet of you Mickey." She whispered after a moment, her voice was wavering slightly but she forced herself to keep it steady. She could not break down; she would not break down, "Thank you."

Mickey went to place a comforting hand on her shoulder; he hesitated for a moment – just a moment – unbeknownst to Rose who was busy trying to keep her breath steady.

His eyes widened in shock, and he attempted to speak but all he came up with was a squeaky sound that sounded similar to 'Rose' but he couldn't be sure seeing as he was too busy with his attention focused on the pale wispy form standing to the left of Rose that looked a lot like the…

"Doctor!" He yelped out and Rose's head shot up. Upon catching a glimpse of Mickey's face she turned to look at where his eyes were transfixed but all she found was the sudden burst of air as something faded away.

"Was that-" she breathed out.

"Yeah." Mickey mouth stood agape, he swallowed, "I just saw the Doctor's ghost."

"And how wonderful an experience that might be for you. Catching a glimpse at the dead is so…" A third voice spoke from beside them, the looked down to see that the fake Doctor was now awake, "…wonderful." He finished condescendingly, with a tilted smirk on his face.

"You!" Mickey pointed at him, almost stabbing the air above his head, "Shut up!"

"Me? Shut up? But I'm known for always talking, never shutting up, annoying you, Ricky. How am I doing?" The Doctor smirked.

"Don't you dare." Rose's voice seethed, and the two men looked at her in surprise as her voice took on an edge of darkness and anger, "Don't you dare act like him! Don't you dare act like the Doctor!" she shouted at the fake version.

"Or what? You'll tie me up." He moved the bonds tying his hands together forward, "You've already done that, kiddies. I would've expected this from you Rose-"

Mickey's head moved between the pseudo-Doctor and Rose as he whispered, "What does he mean by that?"

The fake Doctor continued, "-but you Mickey, I thought you would've ran away and wet your pants at the concept of touching an alien."

"Don't listen to him Mickey." Rose turned to look at Mickey, "He's just playing mind games with us. He knows he's helpless."

"Helpless?" The Doctor laughed and Rose hated that it sounded as carefree and easy as the real Doctor's laugh, "Don't. Make. Me. Laugh." He punctuated each word with a small pause and Mickey raised an eyebrow.

"For mind games, he sure doesn't do much." Mickey said after a moment of staring.

"Oh Mickey," he drawled out, "Mickey-boy, when are you ever going to realise that your opinion means nothing. The girl you love-" He gave a pointed look at Rose, "-is not the girl who loves you. You know I'd be happy to show you a few techniques your dear Doctor used to make her fall in love with him," He turned towards Rose, "Because you did love him…more than you should've and he never reciprocated, did he Rose?" She bowed her head, looking away from his gaze. "All that toying with your emotions, teasing you with the belief of love and what did you get? Nothing, Rose, absolutely nothing…in fact, it makes me wonder how you got the knack for toying with the little puppy dog…" He smirked at Mickey, "…still waiting on the doorstep back home for his runaway girlfriend.

"You think this is funny?" Mickey glared at the man who mimicked the Doctor's appearance, "Don't you? You're tied up, _mate_. You can't do nothing to us and you still…" Mickey laughed at the man, shaking his head in disbelief, "You still think you have all the power. You're pathetic." He leaned forward threateningly, trying to ignore the voice of pride in his head that was telling him that he was good at this and maybe he could've had a career as a bouncer…or an actor. He continued, "You're nothing. Your words don't mean a damn thing because you're not the Doctor; you don't know us so anything you say means nothing. Go ahead then, call me a puppy dog. What's it to me what you call me?"

"Everything." He gloated, "It should be everything."

"Well, it's nothing." Repeated Mickey.

"Not to me, because no matter what you do to me right now, I'll always win. And if I'm killed by your hands or hers, not that you cowards are likely to do that, you will realise that you've paid the ultimate price in hurting me."

"Why is that?" asked Rose, staring at him.

"The upper hand is mine, not yours. So I think I'll keep quiet on the why? Wouldn't want to deal my cards to early…" Rose's gaze stayed steady with his, he was hiding something from her; something that he wouldn't divulge easily, "Now, I believe there was some torture to partake in." He pulled his eyes from Rose's hazel gaze and turned to Mickey, "You aren't going to sing now, are you? That'd be torture enough."

Mickey ignored him and turned to look at Rose, who feeling his gaze on her swallowed back her fears and said, "Mickey, get the box."

"Ooooh, scary." The fake-Doctor pitched in, "What's it going to be? Pictures of your childhood? You do realise that the Doctor – your beloved Doctor – is the one who fears the domestic life, not me. I'm sure there's nothing you could do to scare me. Or hurt me for that matter, I look too much like your precious Doctor to want to harm me."

"I'm not going to harm you." Rose's tone was blunt, emotionless, and distant; it had to be for her to acknowledge that this was not the Doctor. He looked so much like him, she knew he could at a whim act like him and she was not going to be a fool to fall for his charade again – not again, never again.

"You're not?" He sounded surprised.

She continued, "I'm not even going to touch you. Neither is Mickey."

He smiled, a smile tinged with curiosity - it looked wrong on him, "Interesting…you're not lying." His eyes squinted, searching out for something in her face to give him a clue, "What are you up to?

She turned her head to look into his eyes and for once, there was darkness present in her hazel orbs, "I'm destroying the monster that stole the life of the best man I'll ever know."

The smiled fell from his face, "What are you going to do to me?" He questioned.

Mickey returned to the room, holding a box. It was long and black, the edges were tarnished and tattered slightly; the gold of the handles had dimmed to a putrid yellow and the Gallifreyean words written on the box were undecipherable, but the fake-Doctor knew of its contents; he knew of them because of the imprint of memories he had found. This item provoked fear, this was not something to laugh at because that could steal a soul and kill it from the inside before returning it to your body. There would be no more laughter from that point onwards…

"The Doctor never wanted anyone to use this. I'll make an exception with you." Rose said with a grimace. Mickey stood by her side, holding the box and trying not to laugh at the fear in his eyes. If only he knew the truth of what was really in here…

"No…" The fake-Doctor whispered.

"You killed the Doctor. " Mickey stated, "This is your punishment. It's not as if we know where to take things like you."

"No." He shook his head more profusely, "Don't do this."

"Why?" Rose asked him, wondering if he even had a soul. If she had not replaced what had been in that box, if she had actually been willing to use it on him – and for a moment, she could not deny contemplating the thought – would it even work? Did he even have a soul?

"I'll do anything."

"Not good enough." She shook her head, "Mickey, open the box."

"No! Wait! If you harm me, then you'll regret it."

"I don't think you're in the right position for threats." Mickey pointed out.

"It's not a threat if it's the truth, Ricky. If you harm me, you harm him."

Rose swallowed as hope clawed up her insides, "Him?" Rose echoed, his words. He mind unwilling to believe that…no, it couldn't be…was the Doctor still alive?

"Oh don't act dumb. You use that on me…you'll kill your precious Doctor. Now, put _that_ away before you do something you'll regret." He glared at the offending object still unopened in its tattered box, at least to the fake Doctor.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?"

He smirked, "Why else would you see a ghost?"

"Because he's dead?"

The fake-Doctor laughed, "There's no such thing as ghosts. Especially ones who have memories after death."

Rose shook her head, confused, "What do you mean?"

"How else do you think I know snippets of your life?" He sighed, bored of his seemingly stupid company. How he hated humans. "Unless the living host is still alive – in mind and body and soul – then I'm useless. I can't control the dead."

"He's alive?" Rose closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of euphoria she felt at the knowledge that the Doctor was indeed alive, "He's really alive?"

The pseudo-Doctor rolled his eyes in boredom, "I just said so, didn't I?"

"Then how do we get you out of his body?" Mickey asked, still sceptical of the parasite, if that was what he was. He mentioned needing a host, wasn't that what parasites did? Latch on to a host and suck them dry? Mickey swallowed at that thought that this parasite might be sucking the life out of the Doctor.

"Now, that I'm not telling." He smirked, "Unless you help me."

To be continued...

**AN: Review if you enjoyed...come on, after that reveal you know you want to. I didn't even give the evil cliffhanger I had been planning to do because I knew it would've pissed a few people off; it's a much nicer cliffhanger than usual. Plus the Doctor's still alive - let's say it all together - YAY!!! lol :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: New day, new chapter...technically it's 1 in the morning and I've officially been awake for about 37 hours now. I'm on the verge of falling asleep or will at least be yawning profusely but in case I go dead to the world tomorrow and decide to sleep my day away, I decided it would best for me if I posted this up before I forgot. So here it is...the new chapter...**

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There had been very few times that Mickey Smith laughed when facing an enemy. Usually he wasn't even there to face an enemy – something he was glad to avoid – so whether or not, laughing came into practise was something he had not had much actual practice in, but after having just heard what the fake-Doctor had just suggested, Mickey Smith burst out laughing.

An action that gained him a disgusted look from the fake-Doctor and a confused one from Rose.

"Help you?" Mickey scoffed, as he pointed to the fake Doctor to prove his point, "Why do you think we'd help you? You'll probably just try to kill us once our backs are turned. Do you think we're idiots?"

The fake Doctor eyed Mickey for a moment before replying, "I don't think she's one." He nodded towards Rose.

Mickey blinked, "Oi!" He said after a moment, "I'm not an idiot."

"As you keep repeating," The fake Doctor replied. He gave a little wave of his hand to emphasise his point; a gesture that gained him little in getting said point across, "Now, do you have anything else to offer this conversation or are you going to let the grown ups talk?"

Having nothing else to do on the slime chance that hurting this idiot - this fake Doctor was definitely the bigger idiot as far as Mickey was concerned - would hurt the Doctor, Mickey simply glared at him in return.

"Mickey's right," Rose interjected, stepping in between the two before one of them - most likely Mickey - attempted to attack the other. If it had been anyone save for the Doctor - albeit a fake Doctor residing in the Doctor's body - she might have done nothing to try and prevent it - Mickey was never one for violence but this fake Doctor was pushing his boundaries as far as they could go - but this was still the Doctor's body and she wasn't go to risk him or Mickey getting hurt over some stupid words, "You could just be using us to get what you want. How do we even know the Doctor's still in there? That he's alive?"

God, she hoped he was still alive.

"Fine, you want proof," he remarked, throwing out his hands in exasperation, "I'll give you your damn proof."

His eyelids closed over brown orbs, as his movements stilled for a moment before his body began to shake profusely, each spasm bring about a new fear in the watching duo's eyes. Rose was suddenly reminded of when she had drugged him, his reaction had been similar save for the nosebleed. And for one moment in hindsight, she had been sure she had been staring into the Doctor's eyes as he warned her.

"What do we do?" Mickey asked, shocked into place.

"I don't know," She whispered a reply, "I guess...let it pass."

He shook for a few more seconds before he fell back on the bed...still, motionless, silent...

"Oh god," Mickey gulped as his eyes cast upon the prone form, "Is he dead?"

A sudden gasp broke out of the Doctor's chest as he sat up wide-eyed. He took in a few fistfuls of air before his eyes darted around the room, before they landed on Rose, then Mickey, before returning to his blonde companion.

"Rose..." he whispered, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen over them. She stared back shocked as he blinked in return. He stood up abruptly, as if someone had shocked him out of his still reverie, "Rose!" He bundled forward, wrapping his arms around her, "Rassilion, I've missed you..." He leaned away from the embrace again to stare into her eyes, "Although, hold on...where have I been?"

"It could be a trick." Mickey whispered to Rose, "He could be pretending. We can't be sure."

There was no denying the possibility. The fake Doctor could indeed be putting on an act; he was seemingly already talented enough fool Rose for days, what was to stop him from tricking them again?

The Doctor frowned, "Can't be sure of what?" He moved away from Rose, who was still rooted to the floor, "Hold on, why can't I remember?" He scrunched up his face, hand tapping at his head as he began to pace back and forth, "Think, think, think, think..." He stopped, mid-motion as a dawn of realisation passed over him, "Oh...Rose," He grabbed on to her arms forcefully, "I need you to trust me right at this moment. Whatever I say, well, not me, him...whatever he says although he'll look like me. You figured that out already though; you always were a smart human." He gave her a small proud smile before remembering his point, "Whatever he says, don't listen to him Rose. Don't trust him. If he makes you do anything related to Bad Wolf Rose, promise me you will not do what he says...Rose?"

She stared back at him, still, silent...

"Rose, you need to promise me. Don't listen to him. Ok, Rose?"

She studied him for a moment, before suddenly leaping forward, throwing her arms around him in a hug; a hug he returned after a moment of initial shock, "It's you." She whispered, tears in her eyes. Her voice filled with relief and happiness and a hundred other emotions she could put into words nor could the smile on her face even match to, "Oh God, it's you."

The Doctor leaned back, and grinned at her, "It's me. New new Doctor."

"I thought you were dead."

His grin fell as sadness shadowed his features, "I know..." He spoke softly, "Rose, he's going to go back into me and I can't stop him. I wish I could but it's for your safety. Promise me Rose that you will not - and I repeat NOT - do what he says."

"How will we get him out of you then?"

He flashed her a quick smile, "You'll think of something. If you can't then there's always Plan B."

She frowned, Plan B? She knew that from somewhere, and not just from the detective shows she had watched as a kid. He had told her something about Plan B? It was a code of some sorts, but she just couldn't remember...

She should've paid more attention, but he had been in one of his rambling days that day.

"Plan B, Rose," He broke away from her fiercely and doubled over the table, "Argh!"

"What is it?" she asked, fearing she already knew the answer, "What's wrong?"

"It's happening! Rose, don't listen-" He was cut off by another groan of pain, "to him..." He forced the words out through his now clenched teeth, "Promi-" Another breathe, "Promise me, Rose..."

"I promise." She whispered, tears springing in her eyes.

Mickey simply stood there forgotten; he might as well have been forgotten during their exchange. He really was the tin dog - forgotten about at any point. Despite this, he still rushed forward to catch the falling form of the Doctor collapsed back on the tiled white floor.

The stood in silence for a minute after Mickey had managed to hoist the Doctor back up on to the cushioned table.

"Do you think he was the real Doctor?" Mickey asked; breaking the uneasy silence that had fell between them. Rose simply nodded to his question. "How are you sure?"

"I can't explain it but…it was him. I know it was the Doctor – the real Doctor. I couldn't pinpoint what always seemed off about the fake one before. I had my suspicions that something was wrong at the beginning, but I'd brushed them off thinking I was being ignorant. I never imagined he wouldn't be the real Doctor so I never thought to look so closely but…"

Mickey frowned, she was beginning to make about as much sense as the Doctor did, "But what?" He somehow felt like an idiot for asking even though he wasn't sure why.

"It's the eyes." She acknowledged, "No matter how good an actor he is, he's never experience what the Doctor has been through so he will never be able to have that look in his eyes that's come with age and…" She hesitated for a moment, "Loss."

"So it's all in the eyes?" Mickey asked, hoping to steer her away from the subject of loss. It made him uncomfortable to talk about death, how it affected people, what had happened, the whys and how's; it all seemed too personal an experience. Not that Rose would likely share the Doctor's loss, he had indeed seen the look in his eyes and it was one look Mickey desperately hoped he would never get.

"Yeah, the eyes are the windows to the souls, aren't they?"

"And what beautiful, dark and twisted views they make." The fake Doctor sat up in the Doctor's body, "Miss me." He said with a smirk and a leer before turning his full attention to Rose, "Now, I've kept up my end of the bargain; now keep up yours."

"What do you want?"

The fake Doctor smirked, "You."

To be continued...

**AN: I know, the real Doctor and Rose unite while Mickey - as usual - is forgotten about. I may have been half asleep when I wrote this...well, half asleep when I wrote half of this so hopefully there were no mistakes. Anyway, thank you oh-so-brilliant-reviewers, I fall down on my knees in imaginary land and ask for some more...lol...**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Sorry, this should've been up a few days ago but I haven't been feeling too great the last few days. Killer headaches and all, so I couldn't really muster the concentration to write much when my head's been throbbing every two minutes. Thankfully I think they're gone now so I forced myself to sit down and write this chapter and here it is! Enjoy!**

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The duo stood there in silence for a moment, frowning in confusion at his request. They spared a glance at each other for a moment before looking back to the smug fake Doctor, who was still staring at Rose.

Just as Mickey was about to ask, 'What?' in hopes of clearing up their confusion, the fake Doctor beat him to punch, interrupting with a, "Let me be clear. I want you, or to be more precise, the Bad Wolf part that resides inside of you."

"I don't have the Bad Wolf in me. Not anymore. The Doctor took it all away." She replied, although she was a little hazy on the details regarding the Bad Wolf, she could remember the Doctor telling her that.

He had killed the old version of him to remove the power of the heart of the TARDIS from her, becoming a new man in a blaze of golden light. She had shed tears over the loss – for it was as potent as grief even though he was technically still the Doctor, he was still a new man and it had still taken time for her to once again grow to love him as a Doctor anew.

"But not all of it." The fake Doctor replied, he let out a smirk, "You forget that I'm inside his head, scratching the surface, yes, but still inside his head."

"What do you mean 'scratching the surface'?" Mickey frowned, "What the hell is that meant to mean?"

"The mind of a Time Lord is a complex thing. I can't just dig inside his head. He has too many barriers." He let out a sigh, before turning his gaze to Rose, "Makes you wonder what horrors he feels the need to hide, what secrets is he keeping? From you? From himself even?" His eyebrows drew together in thought, "Hmm…"

Rose could not deny that she had wondered what the Doctor's secrets were. He was mysterious, there was no denying that and even though he was engaging in a conversation and thoughtful when the need arose, he had held her tentatively at an arm's length if she were honest with herself. She had been curious as all humans could be at to what mystery hid behind the man.

Yet she had understood his need to hide at least part of himself from her…he was the last of his kind after all, after than much loss there was a pain that went with it. She had never asked what had happened to race, never felt the need to bring up bad memories for him; if he wanted to tell her about them then he could but until he was ready to do so she had given him his secrecy, his shadowed past…

That didn't mean she never wondered how he came to be the last of his kind, how he come to gain a darkness, a pain, an almost detached look in his eye. She would often catch him on his own staring into space and the grief on his face would break her heart but as soon as he realised she was there, the grin would once again returned to his features and he would be _her _Doctor again.

The fake Doctor let his look of contemplation linger for a moment and if Rose were to look closely he looked more like the Doctor in that moment than he had ever before, she wondered idly what secrets the man inhabiting the Doctor's body had of his own.

"It makes you wonder," The fake Doctor continued, "But I can see into his memory of the moment he took the power into his body to save you. He couldn't get all of it, he didn't even realise it until after it was too late."

"Too late?" echoed Rose, as thoughts of a golden light and the Doctor being consumed by it danced inside her mind.

"A small remnant is still present inside of you, just enough so you won't burn up from the inside become ash and dust."

She swallowed albeit unconsciously at the thought of her skin and bones and organs dissipating into dust in the wind and ash on the ground. A terrifying image and she couldn't help but imagine that if the Doctor hadn't been a Time Lord then she would've brought about his death. That thought seemed to terrify her even more.

"A human with the power of a god…you started legends and I found the stuff of legends. Wonder what that makes me."

"I could think of a few things to call you." Mickey interjected with a glare towards the fake Doctor.

Rose interrupted the bating battle of testosterone she felt was about to kick off if she didn't interrupt the two of them, "And this power…that's in me, what do you want to do with it? If it's going to kill me, then why should I help you?" He was about to reply when Rose interrupted him, "Other than the obvious. Of course, I want to save the Doctor."

He smiled his twisted smile, "Of course you do, and that should be enough of a reason for you to help me so why do you need to know the details."

"Because she's apparently going to risk her life?" Mickey replied, his voice rose in volume slightly.

"And if she doesn't then her Doctor isn't going to have a life so it doesn't really matter about the details."

"Of course it matters. You really think that I'd let her get killed to-"

"I'll do it." Rose whispered so quietly that the two men in the room had almost not believed they had heard it spoken in the first place.

"What?" Mickey questioned, "But he said-"

"I know what he said." She interrupted, "But we don't have a choice. This is the only way."

"But Rose-" He protested.

"No Mickey, this is the only way." She turned to the fake Doctor, "If I'm going to risk my life, then I want to leave a note to my mum and to the Doctor once you let him go."

"Of course, as you wish." He said with a grin.

"So…we're going to the control room first."

The fake Doctor frowned at that, "Why?"

She didn't faze at his question, "Because I left something there that's important to me and if I die doing this then the Doctor will know where to look."

The fake Doctor let out a sigh of frustration, "Fine." He spread out his hands towards the door and gave a small bow, "After you."

Mickey stared at Rose for a moment as she exited through the door. What was she up to? Was she really going to risk her life? Why did she not follow what the Doctor asked her to do? And what about Plan B? Did she know what it was?

"Are you coming Rickey or not?" The fake Doctor sneered at him.

Mickey took a moment to regain his composure; "I'm not letting you get behind me so you can knock me out or something. After you."

"You really are irritating." The Doctor stared him straight in the eye as he said it.

He puffed out his chest, taking a step towards the fake Doctor, "And you really are-"

"Mickey! Come on." Rose asked from the doorway, almost pleadingly.

"Fine, but he stays in front of us. I'm not letting him attack us from behind." He looked at the fake Doctor, his eyes squinting at him. Rose knew he was trying to look hard but all it seemed to be doing was making him look like he was on the verge of sneezing. She decided not to divulge that fact to him, "He's the kind who'd do it."

Rose nodded and the fake Doctor walked ahead of them. As soon as he got a few steps, Mickey grabbed Rose arms to still her and he whispered in her ear, "What are you up to? You know what the real Doctor said."

"I know." She whispered back, "Just…trust me."

"Have you remembered Plan B?"

She frowned and shook her head, "Not yet, but I will."

"I hope so..." Mickey stared at the fake Doctor, "For all our sakes."

To be continued...

**AN: And the plot thickens...review if you feel the need to...**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: My god, this chapter frustrated me to no end. It was unbelivably difficult to get this chapter right and I'm sorry for the delay in getting a new chapter up to you, but I rewrote this chapter about three times - THREE TIMES PEOPLE! - before I finally ended up with this. And considering I rarely do a rewrite, sure I may touch up here and there and flesh a chapter out but I've never scrapped a whole chapter to rewrite it again once, let alone three times. I really wanted this chapter to be perfect, we are nearing the end of the story afterall and only a few more chapters remain so I wanted this to be perfect and even though I went through so many ideas, banged my head against the wall in annoyance a few times and pretty much was in a foul mood at anyone who brought up this story to me - sorry for that by the way - I finally got it finished. And you know what, I'm proud of this chapter, more so than any of my recent ones so please enjoy...**

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Rose desperately tried to think, to clear her mind of everything and focus on one moment in time with the Doctor telling her about Plan B, but her attempts at recollecting the memories proved futile; the only thing her attempts brought was an increasing irritation directed towards herself at not successfully being able to remember.

She did not know whether it was through her own lack of attention through that day, her recent head injuries or a simple forgetfulness that brought about this blank spot in her mind but it was certainly infuriating and she knew that she needed to focus. Maybe if she tried hard enough, it would come to her but she was running out of time - she needed to know what Plan B was and she needed that memory. Now!

The walk was painstakingly slow, but she and Mickey had kept it that way so she could have more time to think. She was gaining a few odd looks from the fake-Doc and accompanied by a few offhanded comments about their speed, she had promptly ignored him, leaving it to Mickey to deal with him.

The fake-Doc was certainly an annoying either of them was concerned; he certainly got Mickey riled up fairly easily but if push came to shove with those two, she would be able to tell the tail signs early and stop Mickey from punching him; not that she could blame him for doing so.

By the time they had reached the console room, she could still not remember and the realisation that she might actually have to help the fake-Doc became something that could be real, possible and extremely daunting.

The real Doctor had warned her away from listening and willingly going along with what his impostor said, but what if there was simply no other way? If she had no plan, nothing to help save the real Doctor then what exactly else was she meant to do? She wouldn't leave him; she couldn't abandon him and that meant if she risked her life to save his, then it would be a willing sacrifice.

It wasn't as if there was any other choice.

The Doctor would have to understand, as would Mickey and her mum for that matter…they had to understand the difficult choice she would have to make. The universe could not be kept safe without the Doctor; she had to save him no matter what he had told her to do.

"Go on then," The fake Doctor drew her from her thoughts and with a wave of his hand, she found herself glaring at him, "Hurry up and write your letters."

Turning around she realised that these would actually be her 'goodbye' letters. The thought saddened her; the realisation that her life might actually end – adrenaline filled saving the world schemes aside – was a depressing thought but she could not regret anything, except maybe not getting the chance to save goodbye to her mum.

Her mum…

Oh god, her mum would be heartbroken – as any mother would – with her death. Of course there was a small possibility that she would not die but that was minute even if luck was indeed on her side. The Doctor had regenerated after he had taken the power from her – his cells dying and changing; there was no logical explanation for why she would survive this time. The Doctor had taken the heart of the Tardis into his body and saved her life whilst giving up his own in the process.

"_I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex and no ones meant to do that." She watches as his face shifted into a grimace of pain, "Every cell in my body's dying."_

_Shocked, panicked, fearful she replied,_ "_Well, can't you do something?"_

_"Yeah, I'm doing it now. Time Lords have this little trick, it's sort of a way of cheating death. Except…it means I'm gonna change."_

And change he had done; a new body, a new person – younger, handsome, different - but still the Doctor. She did not have that luxury; no matter what she did, her body would not regenerate and she would not rise from the ashes anew.

Dying - her heart rate quickened in response. She was actually going to die.

With shaky hands she picked up the pen and paper that had been laying haphazardly on the captain's chair and collapsed on to the seat, mulling over her last words to the Doctor, to Mickey and to her mum.

Her mind was blank and she was left with three letters to say her goodbyes and she couldn't think of a damn word to write – typical. It was always when the moment seemed most important that her mind was blank.

"Look!" The fake Doctor began impatiently, "Are you going to hurry up and write? You wouldn't want your Doctor to be compressed to death while you mull over which way it would be best to proclaim your unrequited love."

The pen in Rose's hand dropped from her grip.

_Compressed…_

The word struck a chord in her memory and she gasped lightly, quickly hiding her shock before the fake Doctor got suspicious.

_Compressed…_she had heard that word before, and it had been spoken along with the words '_Plan B…'_

She let herself be pulled back into a memory from long ago, back when there had been no threat of impostors taking over the Doctor's body, or blackmail into releasing the power of the Bad Wolf that she had thought had long since been buried away in the past.

Fingers snapped at her attention and Rose blinked, finding the Doctor's annoyed face staring back at her.

' _How long was I out?' she wondered idly, trying to focus on the Doctor rather than going back to daydreaming. _

"_Rose!" The Doctor whined, frowning at her, "You know, one day you are going to need to know this information."_

"_When exactly am I going to need to know any of this?" She waved at the array of buttons as they stood beside the Time Rotor._

_He sighed, "One day Rose something unexpected will happen and maybe I won't be there to help you." She tensed at his words, "One day, you'll have to save me. I know it seems unlikely, but just in case one day becomes a possibility, you need to be prepared." He straightened, "Now listen up! Ok, Rose are you listening? You know listening is good, extremely good when I'm the one doing the talking. So are you listening?"_

_She rolled her eyes, "I'm listening."_

_He looked at her sceptically, "Now really Rose, are you truly listening? Because if you aren't then-"_

"_Doctor!" She exclaimed exasperated, "I'm listening!"_

_He raised his hands, "Fine! You're listening…" He then added, "Are you sire you're listening?" Her response was a deadly glare and she watched his Adam's apple gulp at the sight of it, "Ok, you are definitely listening. Good. Ok, so where was I? Oh yes, Plan B?"_

_Her face consorted into surprise, "You actually called it Plan B?"_

"_Yeah." He quickly became defensive, "What? Plan B is a good name, Rose Tyler. It's very memorable."_

"_Oh yeah, and what comes next. Plan C?"_

_He scoffed, "Of course not!" He shook his head at her, and she suddenly felt as if the action somehow undermined her intelligence. She brushed the thought away quickly as the Doctor would never do that, "What good would it do to name all the plan after each letter? Firstly we would run out of letters. Secondly we would only get confused between the plans and therefore all that memorable about Plan B would simply be forgotten." He grinned at her, "Now we wouldn't want that, now would we?"_

_Her response was to once again roll her eyes._

"_Now as far as plan B goes…"_

Rose stood up suddenly, her mind processing the Doctor's words, the words from her memory.

"_You see this button here Rose."_

_She smiled, playing up the at of willing student; indulging him in his teacher mode for a short time, "Yes."_

_He grinned at her in response, "If ever I'm possessed-"_

"_Possessed!?!" She exclaimed._

"_Yes Rose, possessed for any reason, I want you to convince them to come in to this room and I need you to press this button."_

With Mickey and the fake Doctor's watchful eyes - confused from the former and suspicious from the latter – following her every move, she ignored the fake Doctor's questioning and moved towards the time rotor.

"_What does it do?" she asked, her attention suddenly focused sharply on his words._

Rose's fingers instantly found the button and pressed down on it. Hard.

"_Well, it'll do a scan on whoever is in the room and locate the unwanted party."_

Rose watched as a light pushed out from the time rotor, turning the normal green-blue a bright white. It went downwards from the top of the rotor, and Rose was reminded of a photocopier as it did its job.

"_Once it's done that then it will pinpoint their location within the room."_

Six beads of light surrounding the fake Doctor and his eyes widened in surprise; he quickly moved to get out of the surrounding lights, but found himself trapped. His hands pushed against the invisible barriers to no avail and he started banging the palms of his hands against the force field, shouting words she could not hear at her.

_Rose frowned when he didn't continue, "And what will happen then?"_

_The Doctor sighed, "It'll tear out their soul from the host's body, which in this example would be me, and it'll trap whoever has inhabited my body in the jar under the time rotor."_

"_A jar?" She questioned disbelievingly, "Like a proper…glass jar?" Her eyebrows narrowed, "Are you serious?"_

_He smiled at her, "Rose, I am always serious when it comes to matters of possession. Unpleasant things they are. Once got possessed by a Jiakaunnuana. My god! I had one hell of a headache afterwards…"_

The light closed in around him and Rose watched in horror as his body shook and convulsed. She wanted to look away – as she was sure Mickey did to – but it was strangely fascinating and she found herself unable to turn away from the blatant fear in the fake Doctor's eyes.

A small beam of light shot out from the force field and focused in on a spot within the time rotor, the smaller beam of light seemed to drain from the larger until finally the light faded, and the Doctor's body stilled.

The room was silent for a moment while the Doctor stood unsteadily on his feet, his eyes unfocused, his breathing laboured while Rose and Mickey stood on in shocked silence.

The moment soon passed and the Doctor's eyes rolled back in his head. Mickey – being nearest - swiftly reached out and caught him as the Time Lord fell.

Mickey turned to her, as he held the unconscious man in his arms, "Was that plan B?" She nodded her head, "Did it work?"

Her voice was caught in her throat, a she slowly made her way over to Time rotor. She bent down and opened up the small door that was hidden near the bottom.

"_Doctor!" She interrupted him from his ramble, "What about the glass jar? How do you know if there's a soul…" It felt weird to use that word, "…in it? Does it like…glow or something?"_

_He looked at her strangely, his eyebrows drawn together, "How'd you know?"_

_She shrugged, "Lucky guess."_

Inside the small concave, a small glass jar bathed in a golden light glowed, pulsing lightly every few seconds.

The relief was evident in her voice as she whispered emotionally, "Yes, Mickey." Tears rested lightly at the edges of her eyes as she turned towards him, "It worked."

To be continued...

**AN: I implore you to review this chapter seeing as I think I've never gotten more irratated and determined than I have in trying to get this chapter right - seriously it nearly made me kill so once again, review to your hearts content so I can continue to bang my head against a wall trying to get the next one right. Oh and I will try to get the new chapter up by Tuesday if I get enough reviews. '_Why Tuesday?'_ I imagine I hear you ask. Well, because it's my birthday. I know, another year older and none the wiser. Ok, I'll shut up now - the rambling author note is over.**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Ah you brilliant BRILLIANT people! 11 reviews? I got 11 reviews for the last chapter - have I ever said how much I love you brilliant people! lol...and I managed to keep my promise and I have the new chapter up for you...well, now seeing as you're reading it. Now you get to enjoy the new chapter and I get to go off and enjoy my birthday. It's a win-win situation. Well, as I always say, on with the story...**

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There was a noise…no, noises; multiple, not singular, he realised with certainty. A single noise could never sound so meshed.

He recognised the noises. Quite simple to if he listened; the shuffling of feet, the murmur of voices talking, fingers tapping nervously, the sound of breathing – it took a moment for him to realise that it was his own breathing, ragged and harsh…but why was that?

He couldn't remember. His head hurt too much.

Damn noises!

There were other noises, those that he could hear in his head, those that should not be in his head. Loud noises, demanding noises; noises he wanted to shove in a box and pretend he never heard them in the first place.

It sounded like screaming…only there was no vocal chords attached to this screaming. It was sound of a mind screaming, it was detached and loud and it tried to tear into his mind with the pitch, but it was not near, he realised. It was screaming from a distance, from far away from where he was – where was he? He couldn't remember.

He tried to focus on the sound; it was not a random scream, not a jumbled mess of nonsense, as he had first believed it to be. It was a language – a language he recognised and it took his mind a moment to remember what language it was but once he did, he realised that the voice was screaming out mentally in search of someone.

He was not that someone.

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Rose watched as the Doctor's face consorted in pain. He groaned in his unconscious slumber and she reached forward, placing a gentle hand on his forehead, trying to smooth out the lines of irritation that had formed there.

_It was warm_, she realised frowning_, too warm_.

Rose stood up, went over to the sink nearby and turned the tap. She listened to the sound of the water slapped against the metal of the sink and closed her eyes.

This day had been too long…much too long. She could barely remember the last time she had slept – being unconscious didn't count; being unconscious never counts – and if she would ever get the chance of sleeping properly again without something – she looked towards the Doctor, or someone – being in danger.

She reached forward for a cloth and wet in partially before she returned to the Doctor's side and pressed the cool cloth against his heated forehead.

"Hey, it's okay." She whispered reassuringly as he let out another groan but he was couldn't hear her. And she wondered if he ever would again. She wished she didn't have this doubt. He had to wake up, but it didn't make any sense as to why he had not done so already. It had been hours.

The sound of Mickey's approaching footsteps made her head shoot up and within seconds he was at the doorway, a look of concern cast towards Rose and the still unconscious Doctor. "How is he?"

Rose sighed, "He's burning up again." She replied, smoothing out the creases of the wet cloth, "Not as bad as the last time; when we were at the house, but it's still much higher than it should be."

"Should we be…like concerned about his brain?" Rose frowned, "I mean, when I had a fever-"

Rose's eyes widened, "When did you get a fever? I don't remember you ever having a fever."

Mickey frowned and nodded towards the Doctor, "You were gone off with him at the time." He stuck his hand in his jean pockets, "Back when he looked different."

Rose nodded, her mind thinking back to the old Doctor for a moment. He had changed before, he had been ill afterwards, kind of like he was now…that didn't mean he would regenerate again would it?

"You could've called," She pointed out, "I could've came back and helped you. He wouldn't have minded…" She added as an after thought, "Much."

"Rose, you were off travelling the world. I was feeling a little ill, it was no big deal." He looked awkwardly towards the ground, feeling slightly embarrassed at admitting it out loud, "Plus, I did try to ring you but you never answered."

"Oh…" Guilt pooled in her stomach, "I'm sorry." She genuinely was.

"It's no big deal." He said, still avoiding her eyes. The guilt grew, "Anyway, when I had a fever, they stuck me in a bathtub of ice cubes. I was barely conscious for most of it but I remember being so cold."

"Who wouldn't be?" Rose looked down at the Doctor, removed the cloth and felt at his forehead with the back of her hand, "I think it's okay at the moment, but if it gets any worse then I think we might have to."

"Right." He raised a thumb and pointed down the hall with it, "I'll just go get the ice then in case it's needed." He exited the room, and she could hear him stop and take a few steps back. His head appeared at the door, "Uh, where's the kitchen?"

Rose smiled, "Just go down off to your right, take the second left and you'll see a picture of a banana. It's the room right next to it."

"A banana?"

Rose laughed, smiling at the oddness of the Doctor to stick up a banana beside the kitchen because he kept getting lost in his hunt for a snack during what served as midnight in the Tardis, "Yeah, a banana."

"Right." Mickey gave a quick nod, and promptly left.

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The screaming had stopped.

His head still ached and he could feel himself letting out a moan every so often. He didn't mean to, but it was natural, instinctive, automatic. His mind would register pain and his body would react to it.

He also noticed that he couldn't wake up, not yet, and he didn't know why. He wanted to open his eyes but every time he tried to, something stopped him, a weight pressing him down. It didn't have a physical shape and he believed it to be his mind, holding him back, letting his body heal…at least he hoped it was his mind. He couldn't think of any other reason as to why…unless…

Oh Rassilion, if he was sick then that might explain it. He never did well with being sick, and in fact he rarely was ever sick. The only time he could remember being ill was after regenerating but his body's cells had been pulled apart and reformed in a brand new package and that was sure to mess people up for a while; it was expected to do so in fact, with the organs still forming, the mind making new connections, the body been pulled into something different – of course, it would make him ill, and he couldn't do all that 'rearranging' whilst conscious. It would be too painful.

This wasn't him regenerating though…was it? He would usually have the memory of regenerating, wouldn't he? And there was the simple fact that his brain didn't have such an active commentary whilst he was recovering from regenerating so it had to be something else.

No, it was definitely something else.

His body had been weakened; or was it his mind…it must be his mind. He would remember bodily injuries…but he could recall being trapped where no one could hear him. He had been without a body…he was just his mind, but now he was back in his body but he couldn't get his mind to co-operate with his body. It was still healing the connection from being broken for so long – a side effect of possession. His body had been possessed while his soul – his mind a dominant part of that – had been expelled from his body, tied to it by a thin string of connectivity. He could not stray far from his body, but it took a lot of energy to make himself seen to others.

Rose had seen him.

Rose had saved him.

He remembered seeing her do so…of course she would save him.

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Rose sighed in relief as she felt his forehead again. His fever had gone down. It was still a little higher in temperature than usual for him, but it was much lower than it had been before and she was grateful for that small fact.

He was still unconscious though and that worried her. She was naturally protective of him; they had to look out for each other with their dangerous lifestyles and he had been possessed for god knows how long and she had been oblivious to that fact…so much for protecting him.

She looked at his pale features and felt a twinge of guilt. This was her fault…she realised.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him, but he made no movement in response, "I'm so _so _sorry."

He remained silent. And it almost broke her heart.

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His head was still pained. There was no exact word for it, but there was pain…of a sort. It wasn't a conscious pain and he was sure once he was fully responsive, awake and alert that he would be feeling the full effects of the pain, but the pain he was feeling right now was fuzzy.

Yes, very _very_ fuzzy.

His body was no longer unresponsive, but was now slow and lethargic. So far he had managed to make use of moving a finger…or two…he wasn't sure of the exact number in his semi-conscious state, but he was working his way up to being able to open his eyelids.

Things would be much easier once he could get a full view of things in colour and he had learned from experience that a range of colour in ones vision was an improvement overt the darkness of ones mind.

He felt a finger twitch, and his mind did jumping jack in delight to it. Although he wouldn't mind jumping at some point, it had been ages since he had jumped in any form…he found he oddly missed jumping. He may not have done it much before but as soon as he could do so; he would jump as high as he could.

Nothing more happened for a short while…

He tried to move his finger again and he found that his whole hand move the smallest of movements. And then he could twitch his nose. And wiggled his toes. And the ability to move delighted him before belief and he knew he would cherish these moments…well, until he found something else to cherish if he was honest, but for a small portion of his lifetime – a _very _small portion – he would spend cherishing the ability to once again be able to move.

He twitched his nose again in preparation for the eyes and then…his eyes fluttered. And closed. And fluttered again. And opened.

Colour greeted his vision like a ticker tape parade, bright and beautiful and bold. His mouth twitched as he made to smile, but he still found it difficult to do so.

A flash of blonde greeted him and he found that staring down at him was the face of Rose Tyler, her blonde hair cascading down the sides of her face as she stared down in disbelief and delight.

He smiled, and it was easy this time.

"Hello." He croaked – he was croaking? He really needed a drink.

"Hi." Her smiled lit up the room and the colour of his surroundings shone ten times brighter because of her smile.

The memories hit him, full and fast, and he had to blink to keep up with the pain that echoed with them. He blinked, "You figured it out…" He smiled at her, "I knew you would. I wanted to tell you before, but there wasn't time."

"I know." Her face was sad and happy all at the same time, "I almost didn't remember. I almost lost you."

"But you didn't." He moved to sit up, and brought a hand to his head. Right on cue – full on headache! "Blimey!" He blinked a few times, "Oh my head!

"What is it?" A hand rested against his upper arm, "What's wrong?"

"Headache…whoa!" He blew out a deep breath before sucking one back in through his teeth, "Forgot how painful a post possession headache can be."

"Why didn't you have one earlier?"

"He was still attached to the connection. He's gone now. The only person in this body is me." He flashed her a smile, "I prefer it that way."

Rose let out a breathy laugh, "Me too!" She grinned at him and he returned it full blast.

He stood up and hugged her, lifting her up and spinning her round. She laughed lightly in his ear, "I've missed you Rose Tyler."

"I missed you too." She admitted once her feet were back on solid ground, "Don't do that to me again though. I thought you were dead for a while there."

"I'm sorry." He said, his face solemn, He didn't want her to worry like that again. Grief was an emotion that destroyed people; he never wanted that her to feel that again.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

"I'm still sorry." She nodded and he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the moment of tension pass, "You know what I want to do?" Rose looked at him curiously; "Jump!" She raised an eyebrow in response.

He smiled at her before he put his two feet apart, bent down and sprang upward before he landed once again on solid ground. Enjoying it so much the first time he jumped again. And a third time for good measure.

"What are you doing?" Rose cautiously asked, in a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"I told you! Jumping!" He beamed at her, "Rose Tyler, you have no idea how good it feels to be able to jump again." He winked at her and watched her cheeks tinge red, "Ah, brilliant! Jumping is for the springy and Rose, I for one, want to embrace the springy-ness of life." His grin widened, "I _love_ jumping."

"It's really you, isn't it?" She asked after a moment of silence.

He gently grabbed her hands, his face soft and serious as he moved to meet her eye level, "I am definitely me." He exclaimed softly, "And it's all thanks to you." He brought one of her hands up to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on it, "You saved me. Thank you." He said genuinely.

"No problem."

To be continued...

**AN: And the Doctor is back in the picture, now who's truly happy? Well...I'm pretty sure everyone who's reading this fic seeing as we've been waiting since the first chapter to actually have the return of the Doctor. lol...I was so tempted to have something else go wrong but I managed to resist. Well, review if you want to...**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Ok it's been a while since I last updated, but this is an extra long chapter to make up for it. Forgive me? **

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Mickey was lost.

There was no mistaking that fact, he couldn't chalk it down to complicated maze-like corridors - not that they weren't just that – nor could he say that Rose hadn't told him where to go. She had and he did follow those instructions, he had indeed come across a picture of a banana (Why the hell was it a picture of a banana?) but it was down to his own curiosity that had prompted him to ignore the kitchen, just for a few minutes and instead he had went further into the maze and had came out lost.

He was reminded of when he was five years old. He had gone into a labyrinth with his Gran. Something had urged him to run ahead and so when his Gran had shouted after him to stop, he had ignored her and just ran faster. He had wanted to prove to himself that he could find the exit. He had proved that he could be wrong, and so when he got lost he did not admit it – not even to himself – and decided that he was playing a game of hide and seek; just a game.

When his Gran had found him over an hour later she had marched him home – unsurprisingly she had not taken one wrong turn on her way to the exit – and taught him the lesson of not running ahead like a foolish little boy, as well as a few others, but there were times like these where those lessons lay temporarily forgotten.

Mickey sighed, _no wonder I get called an idiot._

Thump!

Mickey's spine straightened as he stilled, his eyes alert, his ears searching out for a noise. For a brief moment his mind decided to pick this time to remember the range of horror movies he had during his lifetime – it was always the ones who wandered off on their own that got hacked to pieces first.

He shook the thought away; he wasn't in a horror movie. Although…his life was beginning to feel like a sci-fi show, if he were honest with himself. One look at the TARDIS was enough to prove that. Hell, even today he'd been part of possessions, twisted psychopathic aliens and a hunt for a picture of a banana - the latter was not strictly sci-fi in any way, but really? Where was that picture?

Thump!

Mickey gulped and turned his head towards the source of the noise. Had it been louder this time? God, he hoped not! The lights flickered. He gulped again.

Thump...thump…

Mickey decided he may not have been in a horror movie, but he wasn't going to end up being part of the reality version of one. And so, he promptly did three things.

One – He turned back in the direction he came.

Two – He ran as fast as he could in said direction.

And three – He cursed himself when he managed to see a picture of a banana. (How had he missed it the first time?) He didn't stop though – they always killed you when you thought you were safe.

-------

The Doctor, his shirt half open, was attached by wires to an array of machines when Mickey managed to stumble in out of breath.

Rose eyes widened as her former boyfriend placed both hand on his knees and bent over slightly, catching his breath in the process, "What happened to you?" she asked, throwing a look of concern to him.

Mickey held up a finger, a silent asking of a moment. Rose looked over at the Doctor who shrugged as he continued to make a note of his vitals. Possessions were tricky things and as such he needed to actually act like a doctor because of it. So far his heart rates were fine, his pulse was steady, his temperature was still a tiny bit high – which was not unusual considering the circumstances – and his reactions had diminished in speed slightly – another norm; he had after all been without his body functions for a few days.

Mickey finally stood up, holding his side because of the stitch that had formed there from the running. He was going to go to the gym more once he got back home.

"Mickey?" Rose asked, "What happened?"

"I was trying to find the kitchen when I kept hearing these thumps. And the lights flickered, and I couldn't find that picture. No banana. No kitchen. At least not until I was running back. But I wasn't going to end up a horror movie victim so I came back here."

Rose frowned in confusion at the mention of a horror movie, but it was the Doctor who beat her to the question aspect, "Mickey, you do realise that horror movies aren't real. In fact most of the writers are actually bloodthirsty aliens who got stranded here on Earth and are annoyed that murder isn't sport on the planet."

"Really?" Rose asked and the Doctor smiled as he nodded.

"I met one once. He was quite happy with the films. It was a good hobby for him." He turned his head and thought back wistfully, "Ah, Alfred doesn't condone violence anymore in real life. It was like his own version of rehab, only more productive than the murder rehabs they have over on Zinophila."

Mickey was staring at the Doctor, "You're awake?" He asked, only just realising that the two-hearted alien wasn't lying unconscious anymore.

He looked down at himself and back up to Mickey, "Apparently so." The Doctor then turned his head to Rose, "He's very observant, isn't he?"

Rose hit him lightly on the arm, "Behave." She whispered to him, "He did a lot to help you, you know."

The Doctor's face flashed in a moment of guilt and he turned back to him, "Thanks for…you know for-" He nodded his head, letting the sentence trail away.

Mickey nodded as well, "I know. No problem, mate."

They both coughed awkwardly at each other, much to Rose's amusement.

"So…" Rose began, "What sort of thumps did you hear?"

Mickey shrugged, "I dunno. It sounded like a thump." He then amended, "A loud thump. Then silence. Then a thump again."

The Doctor frowned in concentration, the rate of his heartbeats quickening as his mind worked quickly through the distant memories shrouded in their hazy fog. The quickened beats from the heart rate machine made Rose and Mickey turn their heads towards the Doctor who was now standing up, yanking the wires that were attached to him.

"You need to show me where you heard those thumps." The Doctor stated to Mickey, pulling the last wire from his chest. He buttoned up his shirt again and put his jacket back on. His face was grim, serious, stoic and Rose wished – just for a moment – that they could go back to a few moments ago when his face had still been ecstatic to be back in his body and the problems they had to face were not pressing, but they weren't in that moment anymore. The danger was lurking back into the limelight and there was nothing she could do to change that.

"What is it?" she asked, her head cocked slightly, eyes imploring, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, looking down in annoyance, "I can't remember…but I remember thumping. There was a noise, that's why I went into the room in the first place." He frowned, "But I can't remember what happened after that. It's a bit of a blur." He scratched at the back of his head as if trying to scratch away the haze that dampened his memory, but it was to no avail and the memories he needed were still locked in his own mind.

"Was it to do with your double…person…thingy?" Rose asked.

"Possibly." The Doctor said, "No probably. In fact, very _very_ likely indeed. Actually I 100 percent - no, 99…98?" He pondered, "99.999999999999999999999 percent sure."

"That's pretty sure." Mickey pointed out.

"Yes, it is." The Doctor nodded, "Once again very observant of you." He lightly tapped Mickey on the arm in a 'good-for-you' gesture. Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "But just in case it's there's a chance it isn't, then I have to check it out."

"You mean _we_ have to check it out." Rose corrected him.

The Doctor shook his head, "No, you aren't coming in with me, Rose. Not for this. I won't risk it. I can't remember what I saw in that room, and I won't subject you to the same thing that happened to me."

There was a moment of silence with the Doctor's grim seriousness with Rose's indignation at the thought of the Doctor risking himself for her again when she had just managed to get him back and Mickey's respect for the Doctor for willing to do just that.

"I won't let you go in alone!" she protested, "What if something happens to you? Again! I won't let you."

"You have to." He lightly touched her shoulder with the palm of his hand, eyes pleading with her to let him go, "There's no other choice."

"I'll go in with you." Mickey began, "It-"

The Doctor interrupted with a sad smile on his face, "No, you can't either. Only one of us can go in. Who knows what happened to me when I last went in there? At least this time I'll get the opportunity to put up mental barriers, which is something neither of you can do." He turned and gave Rose a smile, "Come on, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Everything." She looked down, "Why did you have to say that?"

"Because I'm the Doctor."

"And you tempt fate." She replied, looking back into his eyes, "You do realise that Mickey and I are going to be waiting outside that door the whole time so you better come out of that room as you."

He nodded, "I will." He turned to Mickey, "Let's go."

-------

The corridor was relatively silent for most of their journey, save for the sound of footsteps against metal grating.

Mickey's eyes went around the room, quick and fast every time he heard a sound and the Doctor still had a small smile on the corner of his mouth when Mickey yelped after he placed a hand on his shoulder. Even Rose had tried to stifle a laugh at Mickey's jumpy nature.

"Relax Mickey-boy." The Doctor said after a moment of reserved grinning, "There is nothing resembling a horror movie in the whole of my TARDIS."

"This coming from the person who was possessed by a lunatic?" He glanced around his shoulder, "I'd rather take my chances being paranoid."

The Doctor nodded his head, "True." He said, "But paranoia is never a good thing. I was once off my head on hallucinogenic on Fita. I was a basket case, I was paranoid of everything and everyone because let me tell you one thing. Time Lords and Mitopazine – the hallucinogen the planet gives off naturally – do not mix. Interestingly enough, it comes out in a fog so you breathe it in without even realising it. You remember Rose?"

She laughed, smiling, "He tried to climb a tree thinking the TARDIS was on top of it."

"Well, it was a simple honest mistake. The tree was blue after all."

Rose's face scrunched in amusement, "It was bright yellow. The tree was really, _really_ bright yellow."

"Really?" The Doctor exclaimed; he looked genuinely confused. "I could've sworn it was blue. Was there really a big red dog there?"

"Not exactly...Once I managed to drag you back into the actual TARDIS, you wandered off and I found you watching Clifford the Big Red Dog whilst eating a pear covered in marmalade."

"Oh so that's where that funny taste came from." He grimaced, "I really do hate pears." He turned to Rose, "You know, on the planet Egadaey the pear is seen as an evil fruit. They stab them with forks and feed them to their animals, which only ending in controversy after they realised that they were eating the animals that ate the pears so essentially they were eating pears to a certain extent. Then they tried to dump all the pears in the bad parts of the planet which only caused a build up of pears; caused a horrendous smell when they all started to decompose at once."

"Sounds rotten." Mickey said.

"It was."

"It _really _was." Rose added, "He _accidently_ landed there." She clarified.

"I draw your attention to the word 'accidently'." The Doctor added, "It was a mere slip of the fingers, a twist of a dial too far. I can hardly be blamed for that."

"You can. And you were." The Doctor came to a halt; unexpected and sudden, "Doctor?"

He looked over to his right, stepping forward to place his hand against a deep red stain on the wall, "It happened here."

"What did?" Mickey asked, just beating Rose to the question.

"You fell." He looked at Rose, "You hit your head when I was fighting with him."

"I don't remember much." She said quietly, "But...yeah. I think he had a knife."

"He did." The Doctor's hand moved to his cheek, a small residing scar still remained there, unseen to the naked eye. He always did heal fast. "Then I did..."

Both Mickey and Rose looked at him oddly for his statement, but he told them of the event before either of them could even ask.

-------

_The Doctor winced as a knife slit against his cheek. He staggered back in a vain attempt to get away from his doppelganger__, who had recovered. He could feel the sting as air met his open wound; a searing pain which radiated heat. A small trickle of blood seeped down his cheek, dripping on to the collar of his shirt._

_His eyes followed the knife, his mind focused on Rose behind him. He needed her to be safe; she shouldn't be here; it was his fault she was here._

_The knife moved forward; its owner moving with it in a well placed attack. He moved forward, his mind flashing back to the war when fighting was all he could know, and grabbed a hold of the hand holding the knife, wrestling for control of it._

_A knee was thrust into his stomach and the Doctor doubled over, hand still clutching on to the knife, refusing to lose the battle for it. A converse clad foot collided with his stomach, thrusting him backwards and he felt his body fall into someone; heard the crack of bone creaking behind him as he fell._

_Rose!_

_He turned, and saw Rose's still form. There was blood on the walls; blood on her blonde hair and all the Doctor could see was red as he turned on their attacker, whose anger had faltered as it gazed upon him. _

_The Doctor pounced, dark-eyed and dangerous; a predator hidden underneath a cheery exterior. His hand was locked in a tug of war with his faux counterpart; it moved between them like a pendulum and it was the Doctor's dark orbs staring into a made up version of his own – that paled in comparison – when the knife was thrust into a heart._

_His gaze was steady as the Doctor watched his doppelganger drop to his knees, blood bubbling out of the corner of his lips. _

_The Doctor pulled out the knife, stepping away, his eyes never leaving his copy's shocked ones._

_It was odd; he realised, to watch yourself die. He briefly wondered how long he would have left. His doppelganger reached an unsteady hand out to him, eyes imploring for mercy – some unspoken plea – but the Doctor turned away. He was a man of no second chances. He would show no mercy._

_He moved towards Rose, dropping to his knees as he dropped the knife beside him, carefully moving his hands to cradle her head. _

"_Rose..." He whispered, hands moving to her neck to check for a pulse. He smiled; still alive. That was always good. _

_Behind him, the sound of his voice rang. It hissed a few indistinguishable words in an alien language - a chant._

_The Doctor's eyes widened. _

'_No!' His mind screamed, but it was too late. He turned his head, just in time to feel his body stiffen, like a statue, unmoving._

_He watched in horror as the fake version of himself had its mouth open in a silent scream as flesh gave way and bones disintegrating, leaving behind a blue mist that seeped towards him slowly._

_He felt his arm move downwards, of its own accord, to grip the knife he had previously dropped. His hand held it in a clenched fist and the Doctor desperately tried to regain control of his mind. Pain flared instead as the tip of the knife dug into the flesh of his side; a shallow wound, he realised through a pained gasp. He wasn't going to die. It was keeping him alive. It wanted him to suffer._

_The blue mist pressed against his wound and he screamed, letting it tear from his throat before his world changed colour – his vision coated only in blue; a hauntingly beautiful blue._

_------_

"I can't remember anything after that." The Doctor finished, "Save for the odd image of you..." He frowned, his mind working through the images, "I could have sworn I saw that girl from the corner shop." He turned to Rose, "You know the one that always flirts with me for some reason. What's her name? Uh...Tina...Tamsin...Tori...something like that."

"Trisha?" Rose suggested. "Trisha Delaney?

"Oh yeah, her! Although I don't know why I'd see her..." He trailed away. "Unless I was in that shop; oh yeah, I did appear in that shop." He turned to Rose, eyebrow rose, "Didn't I?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you did."

"Oh right." His eyes flitted away from the blood stain and towards the door nearby. Its large iron frame seemed intimidating as he walked up to it; Rose and Mickey followed suit, their eyes focused on him as if expecting him to suddenly explode at the sight of it. "So..." The Doctor said with a heavy swallow, "Here we are."

"Doctor..." Rose began slowly.

The Doctor turned suddenly, "Rose, if I don't make it out of here then I want you to know that..." He paused, as if trying to find the right words.

"Know what?" Rose questioned.

He smiled a sad smile at her; it was tinged with pride, "I want you to know that you were the best companion I have ever had the pleasure of knowing." He reached for her, and gave her a hug and she clung on to him as if she was holding on to life itself. In some ways she was. He had given her this new life. With him.

He reluctantly drew back and turned to Mickey, "Mickey..." The nodded awkwardly to each other. "Mickey-boy..." The Doctor suddenly shot out his hand and Mickey shook it, unsure as to what else he could do. "Nice to know you."

"You too, boss."

They smiled at each other, coughing as they withdrew from their handshake. "Oh and if I turn out to be evil again, feel free to hit me on the head."

"Can I hit you in the head anyway?" He asked, with a smirk.

The Doctor laughed with Mickey for a few moments before his face went serious and he replied, tonelessly, "No." Flashing Rose one last smile of reassurance, he turned towards the menacing door, "Well here I go." He reached for the handle, and turned it. His face fell. "Oh." He frowned. "It's locked."

"It was locked earlier." Rose supplied.

"Well, that makes sense." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the lock. It buzzed, but the door remained locked. The Doctor's frown deepened. "That's odd."

"How are you going to get in?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor shrugged, "Dunno. I don't know why the sonic isn't working. The door isn't even made of wood so that makes no sense."

Rose looked between the two men, an idea forming in her mind, "Well, what about the secret doors?" she offered.

The Doctor turned to her and smiled, "Rose Tyler, have I ever told you that you are a genius?" He asked, moving towards the next room. "Because you are! I'd forgotten all about those doors." He paused, raising his hand in a stop gesture when they intended to follow, "Woah, you two are staying there. When I go into this room, I want you to lock the door behind me." He handed Rose the sonic screwdriver, "If I try to get out then I'll knock. Rose, you'll know if it's me."

"How?"

He smiled, "What age were you when you got a red bicycle for you birthday?" She was about to answer when he interrupted, "No, don't tell me. Keep that number in your head. I'll knock that many times. I'll keep that information so deep in my mind that if I get possessed again, they won't get it. I promise. If I don't knock that exact number of times then no matter what I say Rose, I want you to promise me that you won't open this door." His eyes looked sad as he implored to her. "Promise me Rose."

She nodded, eyes watering slightly, "I promise." She whispered.

And with that he threw her one last smile before he disappeared inside the room, shutting the door behind him. Rose whispered one final plea to whoever was out there that it would be the Doctor who would be coming back before she pressed the button on the sonic screwdriver, locking the door behind him.

To be continued...

**AN: The red bicycle was stuck in my head because of that Christmas DW oneshot I did the other day. I was trying to think of anything with another number, but it kept popping into my head so it was unavoidable. Well there is only a few chapters left, so this story will be ending soon. i will be sad to see it go. It was one of my favourites. Well, review if you want to and of course, Merry Christmas! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: New day, new chapter. Ok, this is like part one of the big reveal of what's in the room...so stick with me, because there's still a few surprises up my sleeves. There were a number of ideas for what was in the room but I have an idea for an ending, which also involves the jar (hint hint) so I decided to stick with this one as to what it is.**

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Mickey stood silent, a figure on the side, watching Rose. He wanted to say something; the silence called for someone to break it, but no matter what he said, it would be pointless. He couldn't promise her that they would beat this; that they would be back in the Powell estate in time for Sunday lunch. He couldn't assure her that the Doctor would be alright, there was no way he could know.

He didn't know what was in that room. He just didn't know.

All that he did know was that the Doctor was a brave man; a brave alien. He may have resented the man because he did run off with his girlfriend, but then he never had a chance against a two-hearted, time machine equipped alien, so he could hardly blame him.

If he was a girl, he'd probably go off with him too. Except that he wasn't a girl, and he wasn't that sort of man. Captain Jack was. And that was one man, he was not.

He did hope that this would end well, not for him. He was an insignificant player. It hurt to see himself as such, but his life was never going to amount to more than fish and chips and watching football down at the pub. He hoped it would end well for Rose, because she deserved this life. She was made for this life, but staring at her now – head bowed, face scrunched, eyes closed, a silent whisper of prayer passing from her lips – he knew that she couldn't lose the Doctor.

It would destroy her.

The problem was he didn't know what to do, what to say, what could change this, what could help the Doctor.

He just didn't know. He just knew that he had to try something. He couldn't just be the hapless idiot, the tin dog. Not this time.

"Rose..." He began; unsure of what exactly he was going to say. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to him, ceasing her pleas that everything would be alright.

"Yes Mickey?"

"What do we do?" It seemed like a logical question, but he wished he was the one to know the answer; just so it could be his bright idea. He wanted to be the one to step up for once, "Do we just stay here and wait?"

Her face crumpled in thought, and after a few silent moments, she spoke, "I can't leave him in there. Not on his own; not again..."

Mickey looked at her, confused, but did not enquire more on the subject.

"So what do we do?" he decided to ask instead. "He said not to open the door until he knocked."

Rose turned to him, determination filling her soul. Mickey smiled. This was the Rose he knew so well. This was the Rose the Doctor had helped achieve the potential for greatness she had always had...always had as long as he wasn't holding her back.

"Yeah, he did, but that doesn't mean we just sit here and wait." She said, and he could see behind the gleam in her eye that her mind was working furiously. "We need to make a back-up plan. As much as I trust the Doctor, and I'd trust him with my life, your life, everyone's lives, I can't just sit here."

"Well, one of us has to stay here in case he knocks, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded, and reached for Mickey's hand to gently place the sonic screwdriver in his hand, "Take good care of this."

"I will." He promised.

She smiled at him, and gave one last look at the sonic before her gaze went automatically to the door. He didn't need to be a genius to see that her mind was on the Doctor, and if he were honest, he would admit that his was too.

Whatever was behind that door was a mystery to both of them, and it looked like the Doctor was the only one likely to get an answer anytime soon.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"The thing in there wanted something or at least the imposter tried to use the fake Doctor to unlock the bad wolf to help whatever's in there so I'm guessing that it needs the imposter otherwise why didn't it come after me itself. Why did it use somebody else?"

Mickey shrugged, "Maybe it couldn't go after you because it's big and green and obviously alien. Or maybe it had a big zip on its head."

Rose smiled, letting out a laugh, "Mickey, not all aliens are like the Slitheen."

"Yeah, your sole venture into aliens didn't involve you getting covered in the goo of one." He grimaced at the memory. He could still remember the smell of it for days. He had gone weeks without being able to go anywhere without vinegar, not that he was going to mention that to Rose.

"Yeah, but if it didn't look like an obvious alien then what other reason could it have?"

"It might have been injured. Maybe it's not even alive. What if it's like an imaginary mother who died years ago and-"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Mickey, I don't think it's going to have anything to do with Psycho."

"Sorry, it's just that music, you know the 'Eee! Eee! Eee!' part kind of sums up today. You figure out one thing and the something jumps out with a knife."

Rose wished she could find a reason to deny what he was saying but it did ring true. There might not have been a knife at every turn but it seemed like problem after problem, surprise after surprise and no time to rest and think and to just breathe easy again.

She wanted to be safe; for her home – inside the TARDIS – to be safe, and most of all she wanted the Doctor to be safe.

"If it needed the imposter then there's a reason for that."

Mickey couldn't help but think of another possibility. "What if it's not alive? What if it's just an object in there? What if the power of the bad wolf was needed to destroy the world or something?"

"Maybe...I mean, that power...I don't remember much, but I remember feeling so..." It was hard to describe, she realised, to find the right words to make Mickey understand the strength she felt from a mere memory; one of which she could just barely graze her memory upon. "It felt like I could do anything. Create anything, destroy anything...everything was open to me. And that...that scared me because I didn't know if I could stop. In their hands, who knows what they would do?"

"We have to stop them, then. There's no choice, right?"

Her lips pressed together tightly, "Yes, that's why I'm going to get the jar."

Mickey's eyebrows drew together. No, she couldn't possibly be thinking of getting that jar.

"You're not talking about the jar filled of imposter; the imposter that tried to kill us repeatedly."

"I have to. It's a last resort. I need to know that if the time comes, and I hope it doesn't but if it does, then I need to be able to protect him. You understand that?"

He sighed, "Yeah..."

"I'll be back, alright. If he knocks..." Rose took a deep breath, indecision bating her. She wanted to be the one to open it if the time came, but she knew she needed to get one other thing save for the jar and she knew the TARDIS' corridors better than Mickey did. She didn't want him to risk him getting lost, and wasting time in the process. "Then open the door." She finished.

She was halfway down the corridor when he called out, "How many times?"

She stopped and turned, "What?" she asked.

"How many times will he knock?"

Fearing, there was even a chance that shouting it out loud could end up being heard inside the room, she walked up to Mickey and whispered in his ear the number. When she pulled back, she gave him a small smile and replied, "That many times."

----------

The Doctor pressed his hand to the panel in the wall; the secret one that he had installed so many weeks ago, but he did not push. His hand was still against the cool smooth wall and for a moment, he prepared himself.

For once he did not know who or what the enemy was. This was not because he had not faced them, his body had been in this room before – of that, he was sure - but his mind could not remember. His mind had been purged from his body, only a small thread of connection existing between the two and whatever was in this room was a reason that event had occurred.

He hated that his mind – his greatest weapon – had been stripped of him and so this time, he prepared himself. He would not let it happen again. He was a Time Lord; he would not let his mind be weakened. Not again.

Taking one last mental check that his mind was surround in mental barriers, he took a deep breath and pressed his hand forward.

A soft click could be heard and the panel slid soundlessly across, revealing the inside of the room.

_So much for a grand reveal. _He mind thought as he stared inside at black.

The room was dark, and only the faint glow from machinery lights offered him any indication that the room was, at least, filled with something.

He moved in warily, his hand trailing across the wall, guiding him. At one point his foot collided with something hard, and he lurched forward ungraciously, but he quickly got to his feet and continued until his hand came across the light switch. Clicking it on, the room was bathed in light and his eyes widened.

_Now, that's a surprise._

In the middle of the room, a slab of what he could only presume to be flesh sat perched on a table. Attached to it were straps, keeping it held in place; keeping it secure. He could also notice that also attached to it, pierced deeply into the flesh, were metal tongs. From each other them a wire drew out and towards a machine nearby.

As soon as he clapped eyes on it, the Doctor was entranced. He

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, adoration seeping into his tone as he took in the piece of machinery in front of him. It had been years – years! – since he had came across even a remotely magnificent piece of machinery that even held the magnitude of this.

He then opened the panel, revealing the inside of it. It was beautiful. The inner workings fit into their necessary places so perfectly, that it flowed so graciously that, in the Doctor's eyes, it deserved to be a life of its own.

"That is beautiful." He summarised, when his eyes stopped dripping in gushing appreciation. "No really, that is just gorgeous. How anyone even managed to get you going I'll never know? Yet, whoever made you I have to shake their hand. I have got goosebumps. This level of craftsmanship is to be applauded. This is nothing short of a miracle."

His finger caressed the smooth surface of the panel on top, and underneath his fingertips, light sprung to life, making clear the hidden buttons that existed.

"Ah, heat activated." He realised, muttering the information he had learned aloud. "But activating what?"

He looked back over to the table. What exactly was the flesh doing there? What was it? A model for something? Had his imposter been preparing to mould it, shape it into some new form of life? Is that why he needed Rose – or to be more specific, the sliver of power that still existed within her?

And yet the machine...what was it for? He was curious as to what the effects it would have on the flesh it was attached to. Surely an experiment wouldn't be out of the question.

He contemplated his decision for a few moments, but when his eyes keep wandering back over to the machine, breaking him from his train of thought, he realised that the decision had already been decided for him.

His finger pressed against the large red light, he presumed it to be the on button. Big red buttons were only used for two things – to destroy or to work as an obnoxious alternative to an on-off button.

The machine sprang to life.

Noise filled the room.

And then the flesh moved.

To Be Continued...

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**AN: As always, feedback is appreciated...**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: Ok, I'm going to dedicate this chapter to Jasper winked, BadWolfIsMe, WeepingAngel123 and Time Lady 802379. 'Why?' I may hear you ask. Well, firstly because I realised I had never dedicated a chapter to anyone and figured now was as good a time as any. And secondly, because they are awesome for reviewing the last chapter. And thirdly, well, I don't have a third one so I'm just going to do a double dedication and give a few more names. Didn't expect that, did ya? Also dedicated to Taylor Harkness, MythStar Black Dragon, moonchild94, AriaJack, MingIsRandom, Sunfall E, NoVacancyMind and so many others. Why? They're awesome too. I would spend the whole time dedicating but it would take forever. Now...on with the story... :D **

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The Doctor turned, surprised, as before his eyes he watched as the flesh moved; shifted from its boxed state and moulded itself into something new. He could hear bones creaking, the slip of flesh smacking as it changed.

He moved closer, unconsciously, a mixture of curiosity and concern coating his response.

And then horror; pure unadulterated horror directed at himself as he realised what exactly it was he was staring at.

"I'm an idiot." He exclaimed aloud, bringing his hands to run through his hair as multiple thoughts consumed his head.

He was an idiot. A big giant huge idiot. How had he not realised? There was even the machine. The machine! That kind of machine was only used for one thing, but he had gotten distracted by the shiny interior to even notice its purpose. No wonder he was thick; straight from Thicktown Thickania!

"Oh, I'm an idiot." He realised, "Oh, I am a big stupid blind idiot! I should've realised. A stasis machine! Of course!" He addressed the flesh, "It's keeping you on minimal life support in order for you to survive."

He looked down at the changing mass, watching as a face partially formed; a silent screaming from a mouthed shaped 'oh' before it disappeared among more flesh.

This was no fate for this living thing; trapped in pain, forever changing; forever dying.

"Oh, I am sorry." His voice was laced with emotion. "I am so so sorry."

This thing – person, he reminded himself even though it was hard to think that this had once been a person – had been a shaped form at one point; solid, a fixed point in time and space and had meant to keep living as such in those following moments, but their species, they thrived on changing their appearance.

And in most cases, it was harmless. There was nothing wrong with changing ones appearance if you had the ability to do so, but their species always forgot that after pushing past the ninety-nine percent chance that changing their appearance would be perfectly fine that there was that little one percent – insignificant to most – that held the consequences of one wrong shift of the chromosomes and their species faltered in the face of the fatal flaw in their species; the flaw that brought about their own self destruction. They might as well have had a big red button to push.

And he understood his doppelganger; understood the motivations that had lead him to such desperate measures. The bad wolf had held the power that was needed to bring life and time had whispered the power of the bad wolf throughout the ages, throughout the species, determined that Rose would indeed become the bad wolf when time had demanded it.

Of course, there would be those who believed in time's whispers. His doppelganger had to have been one of them. Desperation did that to people. It made the most ludicrous of tales suddenly become facts, if they could offer salvation.

He looked down at the changing flesh once more, and whispered "I'm sorry." Again. He wasn't even sure if it could hear him.

The Doctor moved to where a head was forming once more, and placed his hands on either side of it. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let his hands touch the flesh, creating a mental link.

He could see images; strong and fast, but before he could make heads or tails of them, the disintegrated, the mind shifting connections once more.

He delved deeper into the mind of her – he had realised that this thing was female; had once been female.

In her mind, there was mostly darkness; darkness and pain, and he could hear screaming. It took him a moment that it was he who was screaming, he was acting as a conduit for the screams of pain the poor girl was experiencing.

He pushed onwards nonetheless.

He needed to know if there was any way to fix her; any way to save her. He had helped so many and had lost even more, but he had housed a deep need to help where he could. It was the least he could do to repay the universe.

It was the least he could do to save a life.

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Rose felt odd, carrying the jar in her hands, because it was odd, she realised, it was odd and weird and slightly disturbing. There was a man in there, or at least, a soul. The essence of who he was trapped in there, and considering her memories of him consisted of him being evil, she also found it strange that it his soul was glowing gold.

She had always thought that evil souls would be black. She knew it was a bit thick to think that. Souls were souls, and as the Doctor had reminded her at times, no one was truly evil. Although she doubted that at times; with the things she had seen in her lifetime, who wouldn't?

Still, she found it odd that it glowed gold.

Her head shot up from the jar at the sound of someone screaming.

_Doctor! _Her mind screamed in alarm as she quickened her pace.

As she advanced, Rose thrust the jar into Mickey's hand and rushed up to the door, her hands banging so hard against it that it shook under her touch.

"Doctor! Doctor, are you alright? Doctor! Can you hear me? Open the door!"

His screaming continued, piercing through the silence and into her soul like a knife slitting at her emotions.

She had promised him; she had promised to wait until he would knock ten times but she couldn't just wait. She couldn't leave him alone in there. Whatever was in there was causing him so much pain that he was screaming in agony.

_He could be dying._ Her mind reasoned, because saving him from death seemed like reason enough to break a promise.

_You promised him you wouldn't open the door. _Another part of her pointed out as soon as the promise she had made him came into her mind. She knew he wanted her safe, but what about him? Didn't he deserve to be safe? Didn't he have the right to be saved?

"What happened?" She asked, turning to Mickey.

"I dunno. One minute it was silent, the next all I could hear was that."

"I can't leave him in there. I need to get in. Mickey, give me the sonic screwdriver!"

Mickey looked at her blankly, "But he said not to open the door!"

"I know he did but-"

"No Rose, the Doctor said not to open the door. And I know I don't really listen to the Doctor much but I know that this time he's right. So I'm not going to give you the sonic screwdriver."

"Mickey!"

He shook his head profusely, and if his hands were not filled with the jar, Rose was sure that he would've crossed his arms to emphasise his unswayable position.

"We can't leave him in there! He's screaming in there! He could be-"

She stopped suddenly, and both she and Mickey's gazes slowly moved towards the door.

The Doctor had stopped screaming.

There was only silence.

Rose swallowed, the silence unnerving her. She turned to look at Mickey who stared back at her, equally perplexed by the sudden onset of silence.

"Why do you think he's stopped?" Mickey asked her.

She shrugged, biting her bottom lip, "I dunno."

They turned to look at the door once more, as if waiting for it to magically open.

_Knock._

"Ah!" Mickey yelped, and jumped a little in surprise, almost dropping the jar in his hand.

"Did you just hear a knock?"

Mickey merely nodded, his eyes glued to the door.

_Knock...knock...knock..._

"He's knocking." Rose's face lit up in a smile, "The Doctor's knocking."

"Is it him though?"

_Knock...knock...knock...knock...knock..._

"Has to be." She frowned as she added, "Doesn't it?"

She hoped it was. And she waited anxiously, hoping that whoever was knocking would knock twelve times.

_Red bicycle when you were twelve..._

She smiled again, her hope restored.

_Knock...knock..._

One more time. He only needed to knock one more time.

_Knock._

The smile on Rose face widened, but she didn't immediately move towards the door. Just in case. If they knocked anymore times then it wouldn't be the Doctor.

She was itching to open the door though, but she knew better. Her instincts told her to wait.

Nothing happened.

Neither she nor Mickey moved at all, and when the silence had passed for longer than both anticipated, she realised that neither of them were even attempting to open the door.

"Mickey, give me the sonic."

"Oh, right." Mickey broke from his reverie, and reached into his pocket for the sonic screwdriver, handing it to Rose.

She pressed the button, aiming at the room next door. She rushed in, and felt her hands against the wall.

"Where are you?" She asked in frustration as she felt around for the secret panel.

Her hands pushed a part of the wall inward.

_Finally_, her mind shouted in delight.

And she watched as the panel slid away.

**To Be Continued...**

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**AN: Sorry, but cliffhangers and this story...well, look at my track record. I love putting cliffhangers in here. And considering there...actually, I think it might be either one long chapter or two short chapters and an epilogue left, and that will be it - the end of this story - so I think cliffhangers are excusable. :D Ok, I don't ask for much, but any chance of a review? **


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